Home Is Where the Heart Is Part II
by photogirl894
Summary: The journey continues! Aira and the company of Thorin Oakenshield are on their way to reclaim Erebor from Smaug, but they must first get through Mirkwood and face many more trials along the way. Aira has a destiny ahead of her, to save the line of Durin; her family. She will face many challenges that will test her courage as well as her loyalty to those she loves. *Following DOS*
1. Friend or Foe?

**MY DEARS! :D**

**At last, the second installment of "Home Is Where the Heart Is" is up! This one will be following "The Desolation of Smaug" (which, by the way, is FREAKING AMAZING!)**

**I am sorry it took me longer than I anticipated! I needed to see the new movie a couple of times in order to remember everything that happened, especially for this first scene.**

**I do hope all of you will enjoy this story as much as the first one and be prepared for a lot of new twists to the story! :D**

**Enjoy! :)**

**.**

It had been a few days since the company of Thorin Oakenshield had left Carrock. After fleeing the Misty Mountains from Azog, the Defiler, they were now on the run. Now, the pale Orc and his Orc pack were chasing them and the company was making their way cautiously through the woods.

One morning, just as the sun was on the rise, Thorin ordered for Bilbo Baggins, the Hobbit and burglar of the group, to climb up onto a hillside and be the lookout; to see if he could spot Azog and see how close the pack was. As Bilbo started up the path, someone else stepped forward and offered to go with him.

It was Airaním Goldenheart; the only Dwarf-woman of the company and Thorin's adopted daughter.

She didn't want her good Hobbit friend to go up alone, just in case he was spotted or if he ran into other trouble. She wanted to go with him to make sure he was protected.

Both Bilbo and Aira made their way up the hillside path until they reached the top where they both carefully peeked over the edge at the other parts of the mountains not too far away. The foothills were colored a dark pink from the light of the approaching sunrise and there were were thick white clouds and mist that draped over them like a curtain.

Sure enough, they quickly spotted Azog and the pack riding along fast on the nearest foothill. Azog halted his followers for a moment and started to look around. Seeing them stop, both Aira and Bilbo silently ducked down to avoid being seen. They stayed there for a moment until they heard the sound of the Orcs and the Wargs riding off again. They hadn't been spotted, luckily enough.

However, they both heard a growling noise nearby and Aira's hand instinctively shot down to the hilt of her sword. The two of them peered around the stone they were standing by and saw a huge, bear-like creature peering over the hillside, growling. In a panic, they ducked down again in case the beast turned to look at them, but it didn't move. Taking that as a cue to leave, they shared a silent glance, knowing they both were thinking the same thing, and took off running back down the hill, hearing the creature let out a loud roar behind them.

As they approached the bottom of the hill, they spotted the company waiting for them down below.

"How close is the pack?" asked Thorin urgently as they came down.

"Too close!" Bilbo breathed out. "A couple of leagues, no more. But that's not the worst of it."

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin then asked, stepping forward.

Still trying to catch his breath, Bilbo answered "Not yet, but they will…but we have another problem."

Then Gandalf spoke up behind them, "Did they see you? They saw you?"

"No, no, but—"

A proud smile spread across Gandalf's face as he turned to the rest of the company and declared, "What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse! Excellent burglar material."

The others began to murmur in agreement, ignoring the fact that Bilbo was trying to get their attention and tell them something.

"Will you just listen?" Aira finally cried out to silence them.

Once he had their attention, Bilbo told them, pointing up towards the top of the hill, "I am trying to tell you: there's something else out there!"

The other Dwarves grew concerned and began to look to one another in fear.

"What form did it take?" Gandalf asked hesitantly. "Like a bear?"

Both Aira and Bilbo, along with the others, looked to him in surprise. How did he know what the creature was?

"Y—yes, but bigger. Much bigger!" Bilbo answered.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur questioned him suspiciously, but Gandalf just turned away, looking nervous.

Aira turned to Thorin standing behind her. "I say we double back," she suggested to him.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs?" he replied.

Before she or anyone else could respond, Gandalf turned back to the company and said to them, "There is a house…not far from here where we might take refuge."

Something about that statement sounded slightly suspicious to Thorin. "Whose house?" he asked, feeling unsure. "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither. He will help us or…he will kill us," was Gandalf's answer, which didn't make anyone in the company feel any better. If anything, it made them more nervous.

_"That's reassuring…!"_ Aira thought to herself.

Unfortunately, Thorin could see no other alternative, so he asked, really out loud than to anyone in general, "What choice do we have?"

Just then, they all heard the beast up at the top of the hill roar again and everyone jumped and flinched in fear. They had a feeling that was not a good sign and that the beast was about to come down upon them.

In response to Thorin's question, Gandalf, with an expression of defeat in his face, answered, "None."

With that being said, the company took off running. They weaved their way through the trees and through the meadows in the woods, hearing the Orc pack just leagues behind them.

"Come on!" Gandalf called over his shoulder to those that were falling behind.

Suddenly they heard the roar of the beast again echoing in the trees, this time much louder than before. The bear was closer on their tail than the pack and was gaining on them.

"This way, quickly!' shouted Gandalf, signaling everyone to keep going.

Aira was doing her best to keep up, but she noticed up ahead that Bombur was standing in place, looking horrified.

"Bombur, come on!" she cried, grabbing his looped, braided beard and turning him around as she ran past him.

The continued to run, jumping over rocks and fallen branches in their way, knowing they had to go fast or be overtaken by an angry bear. Soon they came to the edge of the woods and the sun was shining brightly on the open woodland area.

"To the house!" cried Gandalf, pointing forward. "Run!"

Aira looked and, sure enough, up ahead she could see a large gate and a wooden house just behind it. They were almost there! There was another roar just as the group approached the gate. However, to everyone's surprise, Bombur, who was completely scared out of wits, was running faster than everybody and was going to beat them all to the gate.

"Come on, get inside!" Gandalf said, ushering everyone inside the gate.

They were almost to the large door of the house. Bombur was the first to the gate, but found out that it was actually locked when he slammed into it, staggered backwards and fell right onto Aira who had come up right behind him. The two of them fell right to the ground and Bombur knocked the breath right out of Aira as they hit, causing her to let out a wheezy gasp.

"Bombur…!" Aira groaned as the overly-large Dwarf rolled off of her, apologizing. Within half a second, Bofur rushed over to help his brother up and Nori helped Aira back to her feet. As she stood up, she turned to see the giant bear emerging from the woods, growling menacingly, and charging right towards the gate. The others were pushing and shoving the door as hard as they could, trying to get it open.

"Open the door!" Gandalf shouted, clearly in a panic as the bear was gaining ground.

"Quickly!" cried Thorin, who then pushed his way through the company to the door and lifted the latch, unlocking it and pushing the doors open.

The company all scrambled in through the half-open doors into the house as the bear got closer and closer. As they started to close, the bear then started trying to shove through the doors, the force of the beast slamming into the door driving some of the Dwarves to stagger backwards. Groaning and shouting at each other to push, the Dwarves fought back, shoving the door against the beast to try and close them and keep it out as it growled and tried to pry its way through.

Next to her, Aira saw Bilbo unsheathe his sword and point it towards the door boldly in case the bear got through. She could see in his face that he was trying to be brave, but in his eyes, he was frightened. But the fact that he was doing his best to be valiant in the face of danger made Aira proud. She admired the great amount of courage he had for a Hobbit who had never been in battle or faced any dangerous creatures before.

Finally, the others were able to get the door shut and locked, keeping the beast out. Once the door was secure, they all started panting and gasping for air.

"What is that?" cried Ori worriedly, turning to Gandalf who stood behind all of them.

"_That_ is our host," Gandalf answered, earning himself a few shocked looks from the others. "His name is Beorn…and he is a skin-changer."

"A skin-changer?" asked Aira. "I thought they all lived in the mountains?"

"Evidently not all of them," said the wizard. He began to wander around the room, which almost seemed like a stable next to a living room, because there were cows inside and hay on the floor. "Sometimes he is a huge black bear, sometimes he is a great, strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However…he is not over fond of Dwarves."

The others all glanced at each other, thinking that the fact they were in the house of someone who didn't like Dwarves seemed almost outrageous.

Ori had moved back over the door and had his ear pressed up against it, listening to what was going on outside. He could hear footsteps growing fainter and he quietly informed the company that the beast was leaving.

But then Dori jumped over and pulled him away, his face written with alarm. "Come away from there!" he commanded his little brother. "It's not natural, none of it!"

He looked up suspiciously at Gandalf. "It's obvious: he's under some dark spell!" he spat out, as if accusing Gandalf of being the cause for Beorn's condition.

"Don't be a fool," Gandalf replied with contempt. "He's under no enchantment but his own." With that, he took off his large hat and wandered to the side of the room. "All right, now, get some sleep, all of you," he ordered the others. "We'll be safe here tonight…I hope."

Only Aira heard him mumble the last two words and she couldn't help but roll her eyes and sigh quietly. This whole situation with the skin-changer just kept getting more and more unnerving and it didn't help when even Gandalf was nervous about it.

When the others started putting down their weapons and packs, she spotted Thorin over in a corner, slowly inching down the wall to sit down and his teeth gritted as he moved. She knew exactly why: back on the Misty Mountains he had been badly wounded by Azog as well as his Warg. His wounds had healed over the last few days they had traveled, but his body was still a little sore, especially after all the running they just had to do. She too had received an injury from the pale Orc and had needed the extra time to heal, as well. She was glad they both had had good and smooth recoveries so as to not slow them down or prolong the quest at all.

In a couple swift steps, she moved over by his side and swung one of his arms over her shoulders. At this sudden gesture, he glanced at her curiously.

"Let me help you," she simply told him.

A slight grin curled up on his face and he leaned onto her a little, letting her take his weight as she helped him lower down onto the hay-covered floor. He let out a contented groan as they both sat down and he lifted his arm from her shoulders.

"Thank you, Aira," Thorin said to her as he set his sword, Orcrist, down on the ground next to him.

After giving him a nod, Aira asked him, "How are you feeling, Father?"

Thorin looked back to her and his expression changed to one of both surprise and delight, his eyes suddenly softening and growing brighter than normal; a certain look that she had never seen before.

"What…?" she asked him, confused.

He closed his eyes, shook his head and snickered ever so lightly. "I am still getting used to hearing you call me 'Father'…," he proudly admitted with a smile that stretched across his face.

Happily, Aira returned his smile with a bright, glad smile of her own. That was still relatively new to the both of them. Thorin for many years had been so fearful of admitting to Aira that he really loved her as a daughter and had just barely done so when they were at Carrock, after the two of them had nearly died at the hands of Azog. Aira, in turn, admitted that she viewed Thorin as her true father now, even though her birth father, Rimedur, would always have a special place in her heart. Because of that, she had barely started calling Thorin "Father" and it felt right to the both of them.

Thorin then answered her question with, "I'm feeling all right. How are _you_ feeling?"

Aira simply shrugged and replied, "The same, I suppose."

"Well, Bombur did fall on you earlier."

She chuckled. "Aye, he did, but that's nothing I can't handle. I am, however, a little exhausted from the running."

Then she looked at Thorin seriously as a concern came to her mind. "We need to be more careful," she told him, her voice steady and full with warning. "Every day, the pack is gaining on us more and more and they are travelling fast. Azog has it out for both of us…and if I know him, which I do, he will not stop until he gets what he wants…which is you and me; he wants your head and me as his slave again."

Thorin sat up from against the wall and grasped Aira's face gently in his hands, his blue eyes looking intently into her brown ones. "You know that I will never let that happen!" he told her firmly. "You know that I will _never_ let him come near you ever again!"

As he reminded her of that promise, he remembered her horrible story that she had told him of when she ended up as Azog's slave for a majority of the years she had been gone. The anger he had felt upon hearing that story began to boil up again inside him. It didn't help as images of the Defiler torturing her back in the Misty Mountains flooded his mind. Feelings of helplessness and fury filled his soul and he could feel that he would lose his composure at any moment if he did not calm himself. He exhaled sharply to help relieve the tension and his gaze lowered away from hers.

Aira could tell that he was remembering everything and she reached up and took his hands in hers, lightly pulling them away from her face. "I know you won't," she calmly reassured him, "and neither will I or anyone else in this company. All I am saying is…when we get back on the road, we need to be more cautious. I know that Azog was close behind us as we were running. I would not be surprised if he followed us all the way here and is somewhere nearby."

"If that is true, wouldn't he have tried to come in and attack us already?" Thorin questioned her.

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so this time. That bear, Beorn, beat him here, so he was bound to have seen it. You saw how huge that creature was. He could overtake the entire Orc pack all on his own. No…Azog is clever and knows not to take chances against anything that could potentially beat him in any way. He would not come near this place, not with the beast still outside, who, I would imagine, is still close by someplace."

"Well, let us hope that he is. That way we can keep Azog at bay for a while."

"And let's also hope that he, as a human, can be reasoned with as Gandalf claims. I didn't like hearing how uncertain he was about that."

"All we can do is trust that the wizard knows what he is doing. Do not fear." Thorin leaned forward and tenderly kissed her brow like he always did.

Aira turned her head and watched the others settling down. Some of them, like Oin, Gloin, Bombur and Dori were already lying down on their blankets and either relaxing or falling asleep. Others, like Bofur, Ori, Dwalin and Balin were wandering around the room and examining the workmanship of the walls and the furniture. She spotted Bifur wandering aimlessly around, looking completely lost, and she couldn't help but giggle. Then she spotted Nori fingering some things on a shelf and she shot him a warning look, knowing that he was scanning for any potential items he could pocket away. In response, Nori rolled his eyes and moved away from the shelf.

Then she spotted the remaining two of the group; her two best and closest friends, Fili and Kili. Fili was pretty much Aira's older brother and she was just as much a sister to him. And then Kili was the love of her life. They had been in love practically their whole lives but never realized nor admitted it to each other until they had taken refuge in Rivendell. Only a few nights previous, Kili had asked Aira to marry him once the journey was over.

"Go on," Thorin told her, grinning and gesturing to his nephews. "Your fiancée is waiting for you."

And the best part was that Thorin and the rest of the company were told of the news the following morning of Kili's proposal and they were beyond joyful. The two of them had received very hearty cheers and well wishes from Bilbo and Gandalf and then many "congratulations" and "it's about time's" from the other Dwarves. Thorin and Fili, however, had been the most happy and excited upon hearing the news. Fili had actually tackle-hugged his brother to the ground and the smile that Thorin had became too large for his face; it had been perhaps the biggest, happiest smile anyone in the company had ever seen from him. He couldn't have been more proud of his nephew and his daughter.

Aira gave Thorin a quick kiss on his cheek, got up and then walked over to where Fili and Kili stood, both of them grinning as she came over.

"Are you all right, Aira?" Kili asked her, taking her hand. "You took quite a spill with Bombur."

She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me. Just winded me."

"It's a good thing that bear is gone and isn't chasing us anymore," said Fili, looking very relieved. "That beast was scary."

"That, he was," Kili agreed.

"Let's hope that the bear once he's human again will be less terrifying," said Aira, "and that he'll be willing to help us."

"I'm sure he's not as bad as Gandalf makes him out to be," said Fili as he got out his bedroll and laid it out on the ground.

Both Kili and Aira followed his example and got out their own bedrolls, laying them down by each other. The two of them laid down on the ground facing each other and their hands entwined as they gazed fondly at one another.

"Are your wounds all healed now?" Kili asked her.

She gave him a nod. "I am still sore at times, but I've learned to ignore it." Then she gave him a mock-serious look. "Now, don't _you_ go and get wounded on me," she told him, lightly poking him in the chest.

He just laughed. "Please, Aira," he scoffed, "I'm untouchable!"

She cocked an eyebrow at him in response to his comment.

His hand came up and cupped her cheek and his gaze softened. "Don't worry, Aira," he said reassuringly, "I will do my best to not get hurt. And I know that I have Thorin and Fili and the others to protect me and I have you."

"And you know I won't let anyone hurt you," Aira said back. She shifted closer to Kili and gently pressed her forehead to his. "It's not just your duty to protect me. I have to protect you, too. We are to be married eventually which means we both must put in more effort and do our best to keep each other safe as well as looking after ourselves."

Kili wrapped his arms around his fiancée and pulled her close, kissing her hair and breathing in her scent deeply. His dear Aira never ceased to amaze and move him with her loyalty and love for him. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the one he was meant to spend the rest of his life with. She was everything he ever dreamed of.

"You are my future, Aira," he whispered to her. "I will do everything I can to keep you safe and I promise to look after myself."

"As do I...because you are my future, too, Kili," she whispered back.

They shared a gentle, loving kiss before snuggling close to each other, ready to get some rest, both of them glad to be inside a safe place away from the dangers that waited outside.

.

**And now, let the journey continue! :D**

**I do hope that was a good enough start for the story for you all :)**

**Please leave a review or send me a PM, as per usual, with your thoughts and/or comments! :D**

**Happy New Year, everyone! :D**


	2. The House of Beorn

**Wow! I am amazed at all of the feedback I've gotten so far! :D I guess I shouldn't be entirely surprised, since a lot of people read my first story and have been waiting for the second part, but still, it's just amazing how much support I've been getting and I appreciate it so much! :D Thank you all!**

**So, with that, enjoy this new chapter and all the new twists it will bring ;D**

**.**

There was a buzzing sound right by her head and then something prickling her nose and her face. Aira stirred at the unusual sensation and her eyes fluttered open to find a pair of black, bulgy eyes eyes looking right at her. Startled, she jumped and sat up onto her elbow and realized that a giant bumblebee had landed on her face and was now flying away. Then she watched as another one by her head came down and landed lightly on her shoulder. It lingered there for a brief moment before flying off. She had never seen such huge bees before!

She looked behind her to see that Kili wasn't there next to her. Looking around, she noticed that none of the others were nearby and she began to wonder where everyone was.

It didn't last long, however, as she heard a shuffle next to her and she turned to see a pair of boots standing in front of her. Aira's gaze lifted as she saw Bofur kneel down by her, with his normal bright, happy grin on his face.

"Get up, lazybones," he said to her cheerfully, giving her a gentle shake, "or there will be no breakfast left for you!"

As he helped her up to her feet, she asked, "How long have the rest of you been up?"

Bofur answered with a shrug as they made their way to the table, "I myself haven't been up very long, I don't know about everyone else. However, I would wager Thorin and Gandalf have been up longer than the rest of us." He began to make his way over to the right side of the table and sat down between Dwalin and Nori.

Aira noticed Thorin by a pillar behind the end of the table, standing in his normal stance with his arms folded tightly across his chest. He glanced her way as she came to the table and grinned pleasantly at her as she took her expected place between Fili and Kili.

The table was bigger than any normal size one, which made her feel smaller than usual. On the table she saw plates of cheese and bread as well as bowls of porridge made of oats and berries, which mainly Bifur was eating, and a large basin of honey, which Aira assumed came from the bees that were buzzing around. From where she was, on the left side of the table were Bifur, Oin, Gloin and Bilbo and Balin was sitting on a stone bench on the side of the room. Then on the right were Dwalin, Bofur, Nori and Dori and then Bombur and Ori sat on the other end. Gandalf sat in a chair off to the side close behind them.

"Why did you not wake me?" she whispered to Kili as he sat back down next to her, having let her onto the bench between him and his brother.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I just thought you could use a little extra rest." He then reached down, took her hand and then brought it up to his lips, planting a sweet kiss just below her knuckles.

Aira opened her mouth to respond, but then she heard the sound of liquid being poured next to her. She turned her head and there was Beorn standing by Fili, pouring some freshly-squeezed cow's milk into his large mug from a pitcher—which she noticed Fili was quite entertained watching—and then moving it over a mug that had been set for her and pouring her some milk as well. The skin-changer was, indeed, a large and tall man, wearing a simple light brown tunic and trousers. His skin was a medium-dark tan color and he had fluffed hair and a bushy beard and eyebrows which were a bit darker in color.

Briefly, the skin-changer met the young Dwarf woman's gaze. His eyes were brown, but they were bright; in his eyes there was a flicker of light in them that made them look kind and full of understanding. It was nice to see a more pleasant feature in his physical appearance, considering on the outside he appeared a bit intimidating.

The strangest thing was, as Aira continued to look at him, she kept having thoughts that Beorn looked familiar. Something deep in her mind was telling her that she had seen him before. But how was that possible? Just where and how would she ever have seen him when he lived in a place she had never been to? She kept asking herself these questions and trying to answer them with the fact that she actually hadn't ever seen him, but no matter what, there was a strange feeling that kept coming to her that said otherwise.

Just then, Beorn spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, to Thorin as he made his way down the table, "So you are the one they call 'Oakenshield'. Tell me…why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog?" Thorin replied flatly. He shot Beorn a wary look. "How?"

"My people were the first to live in the mountains…before the Orcs came down from the North," Beorn answered him, the tone in his voice becoming rather sad, as he slowly paced to the other side of the room. "The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved…not for work, you understand…but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him." He stopped moving and began to pour milk into Ori's mug.

Then Bilbo asked, curious, "There are others like you?"

Beorn barely nodded as he replied, "Once, there were many."

"And now…?"

"Now, there is only one."

Right away, there was an uncomfortable silence in the air as the Dwarves caught on to Beorn's hint: that he was the last of his kind.

However, he continued, "I had been one of Azog's captives for some time, years ago…and I believe that there is another among us here who was once a slave, as well, to the pale Orc."

His gaze drifted to the end of the table along with the rest of the Dwarves, who were all now a bit curious, over to the one person they knew that pertained to.

Immediately, Aira knew all eyes were on her, but that wasn't what she was concerned about. What concerned her was how Beorn knew that she had been Azog's slave once. She stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. How in the world did he know?

But then, suddenly, she realized why she thought she recognized him; the reason of how he knew of her past.

Standing up from the bench, she exclaimed, "I _knew_ I recognized your face!"

The others looked at her, perplexed.

"You know him?" asked Dwalin.

"Not directly," Aira answered, "but I have seen him before. I remember catching glimpses of him from a distance every now and then." She looked around at the rest of the company and said, "Beorn was a slave to Azog around the same time that I was."

Everyone's eyes widened a bit at this new revelation and they all glanced back and forth between the Dwarf-woman and the skin-changer.

"I remember seeing you, as well, young one," said Beorn. Then his eyebrows rose slightly. "I also remember that you were the one who helped me escape."

All eyes grew even larger than they had been a moment before and everyone turned to Aira in wonder.

However, she appeared just as startled as everyone else and her eyes narrowed at the large man. "How is that possible?" she asked, confused. "I think I would remember helping someone like you escape."

"Yes, but you forget…I am a skin-changer," Beorn replied, sounding a bit vague.

Aira thought back to her days in Gundabad, trying to figure out what he meant. She didn't free him, so what did him being a skin-changer have to do with what he was saying? She had never associated with any of the skin-changers Azog had captured, in either human or animal form.

_"However, there was that one incident…,"_ she thought to herself.

And then, it hit her.

"That was _you_?!" she exclaimed, completely surprised, and Beorn nodded graciously in response.

"What are you talking about? What happened?" asked Thorin behind her.

This time, Beorn took the time to explain the story to them. "A few years ago, I was being whipped and tortured for Azog's amusement, as I normally was," he began, "and, in a fit of blind rage, I broke free from my chains and began to run through the fortress of Gundabad, taking out any Orcs in my path. I came to an area where some of the slaves were working and they all scattered and fled. However…," He gestured to Aira. "…this young Dwarf-woman did not."

Then Aira took over as she went on to say, "I knew of the few skin-changers Azog had and were torturing. Sometimes I could hear their anguished cries down the corridors and I felt such sorrow for them. They were getting tortured more and in worse ways than most of us slaves were. In seeing that one of them had broken free, I thought I would lead him away from the other slaves so no one would get hurt and so I could set him free. I jumped out and distracted him, leading him on a chase through the corridors towards the main entrance to the fortress. I never had to deal with any Orcs because the bear chasing me scared them off.

"He cornered me by the entrance and, even though I questioned whether or not he could actually understand me, I told him that I was going to set him free. I had led him there on purpose and it was his only chance to get away. It seemed that he _did_ understand me because he then backed away and broke through the gates and started running."

Then she glanced thoughtfully over at Beorn. "I remember the bear stopping and turning to look back at me after he broke through. To my dismay, I could not get away with him because dozens of Orcs caught up with us and took me away while others chased after him…but I remember seeing a very sad yet grateful look in its eyes, even from a distance."

There was a small trace of a grin on Beorn's face as he too remembered that moment and gave Aira a small bow of his head.

She then spoke directly to him, in a friendly voice, "I was happy to see you go…to see you gain your freedom again. You deserved it more than I did."

Beorn nodded his head to her again in gratitude. He then looked to the rest of the company and said to them, "While it was long ago, your friend is the reason I am here."

There was a moment of silence; not a word was said. The others were all too stunned or enamored by the tale they had just been told and simply looked to one another in astonishment.

Aira slowly sat back down on the bench and, for some reason, kept her gaze lowered. She was hoping that everyone else was silent for a good reason. But then her hopes were confirmed when she felt both of her hands being taken by Fili and Kili on either side of her and, when she looked up to glance at them, they both were grinning proudly at her, which caused her to grin back as they let go.

Finally, Beorn broke the silence by turning to Gandalf next to him and stating, "You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn."

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," the wizard confirmed.

"You are running out of time," Beorn said back, more as a warning than a statement.

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood," Gandalf replied.

Aira's hands clenched tightly on her lap at the mention of that place, knowing of the people that lived there; the Elves that Thorin had told her about growing up that had betrayed him and his people when Smaug came. All her life, she had never been as prejudiced about all Elvenkind as Thorin was, but she knew her opinion of the Mirkwood Elves was akin to his.

But then, Beorn spoke again, with a deep, cautious tone in his gravelly voice, "A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Goldur. I would not venture there…except in great need."

Gandalf, even though he looked quite troubled about what Beorn was speaking of, said to counter, "We will take the Elven road. Their path is still safe."

Aira scoffed quietly. _"Safe?"_ she thought to herself. _"Don't be a fool, Gandalf. For Dwarves like us, __nothing__ would be safe in that forest…!"_

Behind her, Aira heard Thorin let out a low, irritated sigh and she saw him move away from the pillar out of the corner of her eye. He had no desire to take that path in the first place. She knew that would not sit well with him and frankly, it didn't sit well with her, either.

"Safe?" said Beorn. "The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise…and more dangerous…but it matters not."

Thorin turned back around and stared back at Beorn, concerned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"These lands are crawling with Orcs…," Beorn ominously explained, "Their numbers are growing…and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive…."

Keeping his eyes on the Dwarf King, the skin-changer stood up from where he sat and began to slowly walk towards him around the table. "I don't like Dwarves…," he stated almost threateningly. "They're greedy…and blind…; blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own." He was beginning to sound angry and just a tad menacing, which worried the company.

He looked down as he heard a small squeak from a little white mouse that was crawling on the table over Bofur's arm, which he had swatted off. Beorn reached out and scooped the mouse into his large hand. From the look he had on his face as he stared down at the rodent, everyone feared he was going to squish the little thing with his bare hand.

Thorin boldly stood his ground as Beorn approached him, mentally preparing himself to be ready in case the large man attempted to do anything to him.

But then Beorn looked back up at him and declared gruffly, "But Orcs, I hate more."

The tension that could be felt in the atmosphere died down in that moment and everyone silently breathed sighs of relief, thinking that Beorn was about to turn on them from his words about Dwarves.

"And I have come to find that not all Dwarves are the same…for I owe my life to one." Beorn then turned his head to look down at Aira, who stared back at him wide-eyed. His arm extended out towards her and his hand opened up, offering the tiny white mouse to her.

A little perplexed, Aira lifted her hands and cupped them together as the mouse crawled out of Beorn's hand and onto her own. The small creature began to sniff her hand curiously.

She was a bit confused, at first, by this offer, but when she looked back up at him, she could see a significant gleam in his eyes. In seeing this, she realized that what he had just done meant something; that it was important from his point of view. She then understood that his gesture wasn't just handing off a harmless rodent. It was an offer of friendship; of peace between him and the company, even though he did not take well to their kind. He was willing to help them…and, apparently, her actions from years past had had some influence on his decision, which somehow surprised her, but she was thankful for it, nonetheless.

After Aira gave him a kind and grateful smile, Beorn turned back to Thorin and asked him, "What do you need?"

* * *

After eating a little breakfast, Aira decided to get a little fresh air while the others either spent a little time relaxing or smoking. Thorin, Gandalf and Beorn were discussing their plans and the things they would need to reach Mirkwood.

She wandered around outside, breathing in the fresh, clean air, and feeling the warm sun on her face. Everything around the house was green and beautiful. She could see that Beorn took great care of his lands.

Then she came to a field behind the house and heard the sounds of horses nearby. Aira looked to the distance and saw a herd of black and white ponies trotting and cantering around, neighing happily and waving their manes around. They seemed content and free and Aira couldn't help but smile and laugh a little to herself at the sight.

Seeing them made her think about Vega, the pony that Thorin had gotten for her when she was younger. Oh, how she missed her! When the company had first discovered they were being hunted, back in the in the Trollshaws, all of their ponies had bolted in alarm after hearing the Wargs nearby, Vega included. It was sad to Aira that her dear pony was gone. Only Mahal knew where the sweet creature was now. Aira hoped that, wherever Vega was, she was safe and well.

Just then, she heard heavy footsteps approaching behind her. She twisted around and found Beorn coming up next to her, gazing out at the prancing ponies.

"I have raised every one of those ponies since they were little foals," he told her, crossing his arms across his chest as he stopped to stand beside her. "Mind you, they are wild ponies and I do not keep them in a corral. They are free to roam where they wish…but, they all still know me as their master and they continue to stay here."

Aira nodded, interested by that bit of information. "They're very beautiful," she replied politely.

There was a brief silence between them until Beorn said to Aira, "After you set me free, I never thought I would get the chance to properly thank you."

She glanced up at him in wonder. He was staring at her with a soft expression on his face.

"However, I cannot offer my thanks without first knowing your name."

Aira smiled. "My name is Airaním."

"Well, thank you for saving my life…Airaním."

"You're welcome. I did what anyone else would've done."

"For one so young…you are very brave. Not just because you helped free me years ago and defied the pale Orc, in a way. This quest you are a part of is very dangerous…but I can see in your eyes that you are not afraid."

At that comment, Aira let out a quiet breath, lowered her gaze and shook her head. "If there's one thing I learned from my experience with Azog," she told him, "it is to disguise my true emotions when I want to. I may appear fearless on the outside, but deep down inside…I am terrified."

Her voice started to faintly tremor as she looked back up at him. "With every step further we take towards the mountain, I grow more and more afraid. There are many more dangers out there ahead of us. I am not just afraid for myself; I am afraid for my friends and my family and what could possibly happen to them…every one of them means the world to me and I have an obligation to protect them. Especially Thorin and his nephews, for they are my family. I fear the most for them…."

Aira turned her gaze and looked down to the ground, afraid that she would cry if she went on and not wanting to Beorn to see. But then she felt his hand on her shoulder and she slowly looked back up at him. His brown eyes were gentle; full of care and understanding as they looked down at her. She could then see clearly in her mind the eyes of the mighty bear she had freed all those years ago.

Then, giving her shoulder a light pat, he calmly said to her, "It is only natural for you to be fearful of the future…but know this, little one: without fear, there could be no bravery or courage…for fear is the seed from which those things grow."

Beorn's words touched something inside of Aira that made her feel stronger and braver in that one moment. She had never looked at fear or bravery in that way before. Now, it was as if her eyes had been opened to something she never knew.

"I had never thought of it that way…," she admitted. "Thank you, Beorn."

She then heard the sound of Thorin calling her name back from the front of the house.

"Go on," Beorn urged her. "You are being summoned. I will get the ponies ready for all of you."

With that, Aira spun on her heel, jogged back to the front gate and went back into the house where she found the company all standing around, packing up the rest of their belongings and just waiting around.

"You called for me?" Aira asked Thorin as she approached him.

He was putting on his fur and leather coat as she came up to him. "Aye," he answered, "we are almost ready to depart. We are only waiting on Beorn to prepare the ponies he is lending us."

"I was just with him. He is readying them right now."

Thorin then looked to her, his expression turning a little more serious. "I need to speak with you," he said to her, gesturing to the open doors.

Aira wasn't sure whether to be concerned or not, but she walked over to the doors with Thorin right behind her. They moved over to the side where the company couldn't see them.

"What is it? Is everything all right?" she asked him.

His somber expression diminished right away. "I have something I wish to give to you," he replied.

Aira tilted her head to the side, curious. "What is it?"

"Close your eyes," Thorin told her softly, avoiding her question.

Willingly, she obeyed him. She closed her eyes and stood in place, waiting patiently. She could hear small noises that sounded like his clothes and armor rustling and then the sound of Thorin's footsteps moving around her until he was right behind her. She jumped slightly when she felt him tie something around her neck and then a somewhat weighty object slid down her chest. Aira lifted up a hand and then, slowly, she curled her fingers around the object. She found that it felt slender, cylindrical; it expanded on one end and then had a point jutting out on the other. From the texture, she concluded that it was made of stone.

Suddenly, she froze and her heart stopped. _"No…!"_ she thought, astounded. _"Did he just…? No, it can't be…he wouldn't!"_

Hesitantly, Aira opened her eyes and lowered her gaze down to the object in her hand that was now hanging around her neck on a leather cord. Upon seeing what Thorin had just given her, she gasped, shocked, and her other hand flew up to her heart.

"The key to Erebor!" she breathily exclaimed. Her head shot up, her eyes wide in confusion, and she looked at Thorin, who was exuding both pride and contentment in his appearance as he looked back at her.

"I don't understand…," she said, bewildered, "…why are you giving this to me? I can't take this…it's too valuable! This belongs to you; your father meant for _you_ to have this!"

As she tried to lift the cord over her head, he gently took hold of her wrists, lowered them back down to her sides and responded calmly, "And as _your_ father, I am now giving it to _you_."

Strangely, his statement sort of startled her. Obviously, she knew that their bond; their relationship was special and meant a great deal to both of them…but Aira then supposed that perhaps she hadn't quite fathomed the extent of how important it was to Thorin. Here he was giving her what had to be his most prized possession because she was his daughter…but why?

Thorin was glancing at her, puzzled, and Aira assumed she probably had a pretty startled look on her face.

"We sealed this bond between us back on Carrock, did we not?" he asked. His question seemed to be asked more as a reminder to her of what had transpired only a few days ago, but she could hear a slight trace of worry in his voice, as if he was starting to fear that his assumption of how deep he thought their bond went was wrong.

"Yes, we did," she responded with a reassuring tone in her voice.

He let out a small sigh. "I have given this much thought since then," he told her. "Yes, it is valuable, and that is precisely why I am giving it to you. My decision was made when Gandalf first informed me that we must go through Mirkwood. You know who dwells there…."

There was an obvious sound of contempt as Thorin made that statement and Aira completely understood. "Of course, I do," she replied.

He continued firmly, "I do not know what things we will encounter in that forest…but I fear that the Elves will be one of them. If they find us, it will not take them long to discern who I am and, once they do, we will surely be captured and I can imagine they will take me to the Elvenking." He spoke the title of the Elf King with great disgust, but then continued, "He, I _know_ will try to stop this quest. That is why I cannot risk him or any of the Elves finding the key, because I am sure we would be searched if captured."

"What makes you think the key will be safer with me?"

"Dwarves fiercely protect their women, no matter what. The Elves would not dare to lay a finger on you with so many other Dwarf-men around you. But that is not the main reason why I wish for you to have it…."

Thorin took a step towards Aira and lifted one of his calloused hands to her hand which held the key and cradled the back of it it in his palm. Then he brought his other hand up and lowered his fingers over hers, tenderly making them curl back around the key. He kept their hands like this and gently grasped it.

Looking proudly into her brown eyes, he said to her, "Aira, you have shown your courage time and time again on this quest. You have put yourself in harm's way to protect the lives of those in this company, including my own. You even did the same years ago in saving Beorn's life and now, because of your actions, he is willing to help us, even if he despises our kind. You, Airaním, are the only one whom I trust wholeheartedly with this key because I know that, just as you fight to protect those you love, you will fight to keep such a valuable item safe. If the Elves find us, I'll feel more at peace, despite whatever the outcome will be, knowing that my most prized possession will not fall into the wrong hands because it is in the right ones."

Thorin then gave her a confident grin and Aira, after all his words, felt overwhelmed by the absolute faith he had in her and was speechless. Her heart was pounding like mad against her chest. She couldn't help but feel pressured by the burden he was bestowing upon her, but after hearing everything he had just said to her, she realized that carrying the key to the Lonely Mountain was not a burden. It was a privilege; one that Thorin had deemed her worthy of receiving. She no longer felt worried, but rather, she felt honored that he trusted her that much.

Thorin gave her hand, still clutching the key, a tight yet gentle squeeze. "I believe in you, Aira," he declared, "and I am confident in my decision. I believe in you and I trust you." He lifted her hand to his mouth and quickly kissed the back of her fingers. "The key is yours…guard it well, my _nathith_." **_(daughter)_**

For a moment, all Aira could do was stare at him, bewildered, but then she found her voice again and replied in a strong voice, "I will…I promise, _'Adad_." _**(Father)**_

The Dwarf-King and his daughter then shared a firm, loving embrace.

As they pulled apart, Beorn came to the gate and informed them that the ponies were prepared for their departure. Thorin called inside to the rest of the company, telling them that it was time for them to leave, and they all filed out of the house. Unfortunately, Beorn didn't have enough ponies for everyone, so some of them had to double up. Bofur and Gloin were riding together and Aira was, naturally, riding with Kili.

Just as Aira climbed up into the saddle behind Kili, Beorn began to walk past them. She reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder, making him stop to look at her.

"Thank you again for your help, Beorn," she said to him kindly. "I pray that we will meet again someday."

"As do I, little one," the skin-changer replied as he reached up and ruffled the Dwarf-woman's curly auburn locks, making her snicker.

Beorn then stepped back and said to the remainder of the company, "Go now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind."

Not needing to be told twice, the company all urged their horses onward and began to ride away.

Aira stole one last glance behind her at Beorn and waved goodbye. After watching him wave back, she wrapped her arms tightly around Kili's waist, signaling to him that she was ready. He gave the pony a firm nudge in the sides and they rode off behind the rest of the company, leaving the home of Beorn, the skin-changer and making their way to the forest of Mirkwood.

.

**Now, how about all that? xD lol**

**Also, there was a little Easter egg (i think that's what it's called...) in this chapter: a line that was actually said in the chapter "Queer Lodgings" from the book! Bonus points to anyone who can tell me which line it was WITHOUT cheating ;) hehe!**

**Please do leave a review or send me a PM with your thoughts! As I've said, I love hearing from all of my readers :) **


	3. Changes and Courage

**Hey, everyone, sorry this took a while to get up. I've seriously had a really rough past couple of weeks. A couple weekends ago, we found out my dog, whom my family has had for over 10 years, had kidney failure and we had to put her to sleep...and then the next day, my great-grandma passed away. We were more prepared for her passing, cuz she'd been going downhill for a while, but what happened with my dog just suddenly happened and came and hit us like a brick wall, it happened so fast. I'm doing better now, but I'm also still getting used to not having her around...she was my baby...I love her and I miss her. But I know both she and my great-grandma are both better and happier in heaven and I'll see them again someday :)**

**My deepest thanks to mrsmiawallace88 and ZabuzasGirl for your love and support through these last couple weeks! I love you both and appreciate you being there for me! :)**

**Moving on from all that...this one's just a filler chapter before they get to Mirkwood, just kinda blah, blah, blah...! xD I wanted the company to have a couple more good moments before everything in the journey goes south! I'm somewhat satisfied with this...but I'll let all my wonderful readers judge!**

**.**

Over vast green hills, the company rode fast for a little while until Thorin ordered them all to slow down and let the ponies rest a little bit. So now they were just slowly trotting along the way on their way to Mirkwood.

Aira still had a hold around Kili's waist and had her cheek resting against his back, deep in her own thoughts.

She knew that the Lonely Mountain stood just beyond Mirkwood. It was only a matter of time until they would be there, if they managed to get through the forest without any problems. She could only imagine just how wondrous it would be to be inside the mountain for the first time; to behold the splendor of the great kingdom she had heard many tales about as a child, mainly from Thorin, Balin and Dwalin. How she longed to see the halls of her ancestors; the halls in which Thorin and her birth father, Rimedur, had both dwelt for a time. Aira wondered what life would be like for her living there.

"What are you thinking about, love?"

The sound of her fiancée's voice interrupted her thoughts and she sat up from against his back to find him looking back at her curiously with a cheeky grin on his face, like always. She also noticed Fili was riding close beside them and was looking over at her, too.

She chuckled and replied, "I was just thinking about Erebor…"

"Oh?" said Fili, tilting his head curiously.

"…and what things will be like for all of us when we get the mountain back and can live there."

"I'll wager things will be quite different," said Kili.

As she thought about it a little more, Aira then added, "I mean, not only will it just be a new, different home for us…it also means our lifestyles will change as well."

"What do you mean?" Kili asked her.

"Well, in Ered Luin, I know we were always recognized as royalty, but we never actually lived like most royals do. In Erebor, Father will officially be King, you two will be Princes and I will be a Princess."

"We already are Princes and you, a Princess."

"_Officially, _we will be, I said."

"Oh, right…!" Kili shook his head at himself.

"We will really live like royalty, which also means we will most likely have more responsibilities," Aira added.

"Not as many as Uncle will have," Fili commented.

Both Aira and Kili nodded in agreement with that.

"Fili, you are the next in line for the throne after your uncle," Aira pointed out. "What do you think it will be like to be King?"

"Certainly no fun!" said Kili jokingly before his brother could answer. "Princes like me don't have as many responsibilities, so I'd get to have all the fun while he has to work all the time!"

Both Aira and Fili snickered.

But then Fili's expression grew a little dismal. "I honestly try to not think about it," he responded in a low voice, "because that would mean that Thorin would no longer be here…and I don't want to think like that…not yet."

To try and lift his spirits a bit, Kili then asked him, "Well, even though that may be a long ways away, when you _are_ King…will you make Maori your Queen?"

When they had been in Rivendell, the company had met Maori Irondelver; a half-Dwarf woman who was actually Aira's best friend and just happened to be living in Rivendell and had arrived there from travelling shortly after the company had made it there. For Fili and Maori, it had basically been love at first sight and, during the company's stay in the Elven city, they had grown closer and did indeed fall in love. Upon departing, they had confessed their feelings and Fili promised he would return for her after the quest was over. Maori had also promised him that she would wait for him, giving him her mother's ring as a reminder.

Instinctively, Fili lifted a hand and felt her ring that laid against his chest underneath his shirt. "Of course…I wouldn't want anyone else to rule at my side. I would have no one else as my Queen," he answered, his voice strong with resolve.

Aira had to smile at that. It made her happy to see Fili, who was a brother to her, fall in love, and it made her happier that it was with her best friend.

"Do either of you think, when Thorin is made King, _he_ will find a Queen?" asked Kili.

Aira shrugged and answered, "I do not know."

Fili then said, "That's hard to say. Honestly, I've never quite seen him as the marrying type…but also, I think it would be nice to see Uncle find love; to see him find someone who will help rule Erebor by his side."

"We would at last have an aunt!" Kili added.

Fili nodded at his brother. "But I don't believe he'll have that sort of matter on his mind for a while. Perhaps after the mountain is restored, he will."

But then he looked at Aira and grinned at her, giving her a light pat on the arm. "However, _you_, Aira, are the one who has his heart for right now."

She tilted her head and glanced at him inquisitively.

Seeing she looked slightly confused, Fili explained, "Every young woman captures her father's heart in the deepest of ways; in a way that no other woman could romantically. We all know just how much and how deeply Thorin loves you. I'd be surprised if he could ever love a woman more than he does you!"

Aira shook her head and rolled her eyes, a small smirk etching upward on her lips. "Fili, you know that that kind of love is different than the love he has for me," she said to him.

"Obviously, I do," he replied. "I'm only saying that he's devoted so much of himself to you for over seventy years that, even if he does fall in love with someone one day, I don't think he will ever love anyone as deeply and truly as he loves you."

It really touched her heart to hear such words. "Thank you, Fili," Aira said sweetly. "While I know he loves me, I am quite sure he will be able to find someone someday that he will love even more and will occupy his heart more than me."

Fili simply grinned and shrugged.

"Besides," said Kili, "Thorin's not the only one whose heart Aira has captured." He twisted his neck to look back at her, giving her a happy smile.

Knowing exactly what he meant, Aira smiled back at him, tightened her arms around his waist and then lifted her head to kiss him gratefully on the cheek, making both him and Fili chuckle.

"That's another thing that will be different when we live in Erebor," Kili stated to Aira. "You and I will be married."

Aira went to say something back, but the sound of Fili letting out the sound of a half-laugh, half-groan distracted her and both she and Kili gave him a strange look.

"That's still something I never thought would happen: my little brother getting engaged before me!" Fili cried lightheartedly, reaching over and ruffling his brother's hair, making him laugh as he swatted his hand away.

"Oi, you could have proposed to Maori while we were in Rivendell!" Kili cried back.

"Believe me, I thought about it…," said Fili, "but I didn't even tell her I loved her until our last moments together before we all left. There was no way I could have proposed to her. I also know that, if I had…I don't think I could have brought myself to leave."

"Well, don't worry, brother! After we take back the mountain, you can bring Maori back from Rivendell and propose to her then! And then we can have a double wedding!"

Both Aira and Fili's eyes widened for a moment at that but then they all started laughing. There had been many jokes over the years that, because Fili and Kili did everything together, they would even get married at the same time. Now that it actually seemed like a possibility, they were all quite amused.

"Aye, we will see, Kee!" Fili replied. Then he looked to Kili and Aira and asked, "Are you two sure you're ready for marriage?"

Aira shrugged. "As ready as we'll ever be. But come on, who is ever really fully prepared for marriage at first?"

"_I_ was!"

They turned their heads to see Gloin had come up beside them and was grinning from ear to ear.

"Not too long into the courtship with my wife, I knew I wanted to marry her and was ready," he proudly proclaimed. "The moment I was sure of that, I knew I was ready to marry her, provide for her and raise a family with her."

Chuckling and rolling her eyes amusedly at him, Aira commented, "Gloin, you always say things like that! Do you ever say any of that to your wife directly?"

"Yes, I do…." He leaned over closer to the young Dwarf-woman and told her quietly, "Only when I am in trouble."

She laughed in response. "And your son, Gimli; how is the dear lad? It's been quite some time since I've seen him."

"Ah, Gimli's doing well. He is improving in his weapons training. However, he is telling me that, when he is old enough to fight his own battles, he wants to keep count of how many enemies he kills. I tell him that will be no fun alone and he would need competition."

"I pity the poor sod who ends up competing against Gimli in battle for the highest number of kills!"

"At least, that will help remind him to stay alert in a fight."

Aira snickered in return.

Then she heard Dori call out to the front of the line, "So, Mister Gandalf, what's the plan for when we reach the forest?"

"We simply must try and make our way through without raising any alarms to the Wood-Elves," Gandalf cried, turning and looking over his shoulder.

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked Dwalin. "The Elves are everywhere in Mirkwood."

"We will move cautiously and carefully," Gandalf answered him.

"So the Elves in Mirkwood really aren't like the Elves in Rivendell?" asked Bilbo as Aira and Kili came up beside him.

Aira answered him, "Unfortunately, no, they are not, Bilbo. They are less wise, as Beorn said, and they are not nearly as open and welcoming to Dwarves."

"It was those very Elves that abandoned the Dwarves of Erebor when the dragon came," added Fili.

Bilbo nodded in understanding. "That's a shame. I always believed that all Elves were alike."

Aira then said, "Well, Father and most of the other Dwarves believe they are all the same, but not in a good way."

"I knew of that, yes."

"As long as we're careful, like Gandalf said, we should be able to get through the forest without running into them."

"Well, that would require us to actually reach the forest first," said Nori, who was riding a little faster and moving past them.

Bofur followed up right behind him, grinning as usual. He looked mischievously over at Kili and Aira and asked, "Anyone fancy a little race to the forest?"

After exchanging looks with Aira and Fili, Kili responded haughtily, "You're on, Bofur!" and then snapped the reins hard and gave his pony a nudge, making it jolt forward. Fili then followed suit and trotted off after them.

With that, Aira, Kili, Fili, Bofur and Nori began to race each other to Mirkwood, with the rest of the company riding behind them to catch up.

* * *

Unfortunately, once the company got to the edge of the forest, Gandalf was the one to get there first. Out of the five who started who originally raced, however, Nori was the first one to get there after Gandalf, which made everyone else roll their eyes at him as he shortly boasted about it.

They all remained on their ponies while the wizard dismounted his horse and went to take a look at the entrance.

Aira's arms tightened around Kili's waist and she pulled herself closer to his back as she looked up at the trees. "I really don't like the look of this," she said in a low voice. "Something about this forest doesn't feel right, even just looking at it."

He placed one hand over both of hers that were on top of his stomach. "Don't be afraid, love," he said calmly. "Everything will be all right."

"I certainly hope so," she replied.

Just then, they heard Gandalf call, "Here lies our path through Mirkwood!"

"No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side," Dwalin commented, getting off his pony.

Aira slightly shook her head as she and Kili dismounted. _"Don't speak too soon, Dwalin…!"_ she thought. _"That will only bring us bad luck."_

"Set the ponies loose! Let them return to their master!" Gandalf ordered them. A couple of the Dwarves obeyed and started to undo the saddles on their ponies.

Bilbo took a few steps closer to the entrance and muttered, "This forest feels…sick. As if a disease lies upon it."

Aira stepped up by him and he gave her a look of concern. "I agree," she told him. "Nothing about this feels right." She looked ahead to where Gandalf stood. "Gandalf, is there no way around?" she asked him.

As he turned around back to the trees, he answered her, "Not unless we go two hundred miles north or twice that distance south." With that being said, he began to slowly wander into the forest to take a closer look inside.

Instinctively, Aira lifted a hand up to her chest and clasped the key that laid underneath her shirt. Thorin thought it would be safer with her in Mirkwood…but she still couldn't help but worry.

_"I __will__ do everything I can to keep it safe…but oh, gods, I hope it'll be enough…!"_ she thought worriedly to herself.

Aira and Bilbo shared one more hesitant glance and then Aira walked away, going over to where Fili, Kili and Bofur stood.

Seeing her approaching, Bofur beamed at her and said, "Aira, I meant to tell you this back at the house: I think what you did for Beorn all those years ago was very brave! You had to have a lot of courage for that; that was very admirable."

"Thank you, Bofur!" Aira exclaimed. "I appreciate that very much."

It was then Ori came up behind her and joined in their little circle. "Beorn said there are dark things in this forest…," he mentioned apprehensively. "What does he mean exactly?"

"Believe me, I wish we knew, lad," said Bofur.

Ori's expression grew grim and he looked around at all of them nervously. They could tell that he was getting pretty scared thinking about what Beorn had warned them about.

"But we're fighters!" said Fili in a strong voice, hoping to help Ori find his courage again. "Whatever awaits us, we'll take them head on, because we Dwarves never back down from a fight!"

"That's right!" Kili added, catching on. He turned to Ori and laid a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We all have fought Trolls, Goblins, Orcs and Wargs on the journey so far; many dangerous beasts, and we defeated every one of them. Whatever is in that forest won't be any different."

Ori gave him a tiny grin, but then lowered his gaze shyly to the ground. "I wish I was as brave as you…and Fili…Aira…Bofur…and everyone else…," he admitted sadly, fidgeting with his mittens, "…but I don't know how to use a sword or a bow or any weapon. I never really got to learn before this journey. I'm not one to charge fearlessly into a fight like all of you…."

Kili, Fili, Aira and Bofur all stared at Ori, astonished at what he was confessing to them, but he still kept his focus on the ground beneath him.

He went on, "I try to be brave…I'd like to think that I am…I try to be like my brothers and the rest of you, but I know deep down, I am not. I'm afraid all the time…and I just—"

"Ori, stop right now!" Kili commanded sternly, grabbing him by the shoulders and making him look him in the eye. "Don't speak about yourself like that! You _are_ brave, Ori, my friend! You're not any different from the rest of us!"

"Aye, he speaks true!" Bofur chimed in, giving the younger lad an encouraging grin. "You may not be able to wield a sword, but I've seen you use Dwalin's war hammer…and there are times I think you handle a war hammer better than I do!"

The corners of Ori's mouth twitched slightly at Bofur's compliment. "Really…?" he asked.

Bofur nodded, his floppy hat bouncing up and down.

"And you have your slingshot!" Fili added. "Yes, there may be some who would ridicule such a simple weapon, but you saved your brother, Nori, from a Troll with that! Sometimes even the simplest weapon can be the best; better than even a sword or a bow." He then gave Ori a light, encouraging nudge in the arm.

They all could see that Ori was starting to smile and that their words were actually working and were making him feel better.

Finally, Aira went up to him and laid a gentle hand on Ori's shoulder. "I'm going to tell you something that Beorn actually said to me earlier before we left his house," she said to him.

He looked at her intently, waiting to hear what she had to say.

She smiled at him and said, "He told me that without fear, there could be no bravery or courage…for fear is the seed from which those things grow."

Ori's eyes began to beam gladly.

"If you honestly think that the rest of us charge into a fight without being afraid, then you are seriously mistaken, my dear friend. None of us are without fear and that is why we appear as brave as we are. We can't let our fear overcome us…and neither should you. You, Ori, are as brave and mighty a warrior as all of us…and don't let anyone tell you differently! And don't you, yourself, think any differently of that either!"

Then, Aira threw her arms around Ori's neck and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back gratefully.

Fili, Bofur and Kili all smiled cheerfully.

"Thank you, Aira," said Ori as they pulled apart. Then he looked to the other three. "All of you, thank you. Everything you said made me feel better, especially about myself. You all are great friends!"

"You're welcome," said Bofur.

"Anytime, Ori," said Kili, patting his arm.

Just then, Ori heard Nori calling for him to help with one of the pony's saddles that was giving him trouble. After thanking his friends one more time, Ori left them to go help his brother.

Aira grinned to herself as she watched Ori walk away. Almost like Fili, Ori was much like a brother to her and she loved him dearly. She adored his shyness and sensitivity as well as his courage and yearning to be like his brothers and his peers. He wanted to fit in with the rest of them, but Aira felt he already did in his own unique way. He may be older than she as well as Fili and Kili, but he was more innocent in ways of war and of the world and she didn't think that was a bad thing at all. Despite his innocence, Aira was very proud of Ori and believed that perhaps, after the journey, he would no longer believe he wasn't a brave fighter and would grow more in his ways.

"What a lad!" Bofur exclaimed optimistically. Then he leaned closer and whispered in Aira's ear, "And _that_ is why your name is 'Goldenheart'!" Then he hummed and chuckled with amusement.

"Oh, stop, it wasn't just me!" Aira replied, noticing that Fili and Kili were beside her now, too. "You three helped him just as much. Give yourselves some credit, as well."

"If you insist," said Kili, taking her hand and grinning.

In response, she rolled her eyes, but still smiled. Then she heard the sound of hooves and turned her head to see all of the ponies riding away.

Nori was starting to unsaddle Gandalf's horse when suddenly Gandalf came trudging out of the forest entrance and cried out, "Not my horse! I need it!"

Everyone in the company all whirled around and looked to the wizard in surprise. What was going on?

"You're not leaving us…!" said Bilbo, unable to believe that Gandalf was going to leave them.

Gandalf looked down at him apologetically and replied, "I would not do this unless I had to."

In the back, Thorin looked less than unpleased about this sudden announcement. Why was it that Gandalf always seemed to leave them at the most inconvenient times? He was finding that rather irritating by now.

But then Gandalf turned and faced Bilbo. "You've changed, Bilbo Baggins. You're not the same Hobbit as the one who left the Shire," he said to him, sounding proud and impressed.

Bilbo, who was starting to grow sadder in his expression, suddenly stated in an emotional voice, "I was going to tell you…!"

He paused for a moment and Gandalf patiently waited for him to go on.

"I…found something in the Goblin tunnels," he said.

"Found what?" the wizard asked.

For a moment, Bilbo hesitated in responding.

"What did you find?" Gandalf asked again curiously.

There was another pause before Bilbo finally choked out, "My courage!"

Pleased to hear that, Gandalf replied, "Good! Well, that's good!"

Bilbo simply grinned back at him.

"You'll need it," the wizard told him lastly before he turned and started walking towards his horse.

"I'll be waiting for you at the Overlook before the slopes of Erebor!" he said loudly so the rest of the company could hear him. Then he looked to Thorin and stated, "Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me."

Thorin wordlessly nodded in response.

Lastly, Gandalf turned to Aira. "Stay strong, Airaním," he told her, "and I expect you and Bilbo to keep the rest of these miscreants out of trouble." Then he gave her a witty wink.

While the rest of the Dwarves murmured to each other in regards to Gandalf calling them "miscreants", Aira simply snickered and replied, "Gandalf, they're Dwarf men! It would be impossible to keep them all out of trouble!"

"Oi!" a few of them cried out at her.

She just laughed and then said to the wizard, "But I'll do my best."

With that, he gave her a nod and then went to his horse.

Turning back to the company, he gave them a few last words of warning before he departed. "This is not the Greenwood of old," he said. "The very air in the forest is heavy…with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray? What does that mean?" Bilbo asked to Dwalin standing next to him.

"You must stay on the path," Gandalf continued firmly. "Do not leave it. If you do, you'll never find it again." He nudged his horse and started to ride away. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!" he shouted over his shoulder and, with that, the wizard left.

Thorin began to make his way through the group towards the entrance. "Come on!" he ordered them as they all started to follow him. "We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day!"

"Durin's Day!" Bilbo quietly exclaimed as he noticed Aira come up beside him with Kili.

"Let's go," said Dwalin to those behind them.

"It's our one chance to find the hidden door!" Thorin called out.

Aira stole a glance up at the trees. There was a deep feeling of dread starting to creep up in her heart. She feared for what they would come across in the forest, but hoped that perhaps they could get through unseen and unscathed. She could only hope and pray to Mahal for safety for the entire company.

Clutching tightly onto Kili's hand, Aira entered the forest after the rest of the company, ready to face whatever things they would encounter in the dark forest of Mirkwood.

.

**Dun dun DUN! xD**

**I will warn you now...things in Mirkwood are definitely going to be interesting... xD**

**I do hope the next chapter won't take too long, but i'm starting school again (last semester, YAY! :D) and i don't know how much time i'll have to write...but i'll do my best! :)**

**Reviews and PM's are welcome and appreciated! :D Thanks a bunch!**


	4. Illusions and Arachnids

**Yay, a new chapter! This is definitely my longest one yet :D**

**Brace yourselves...we're in Mirkwood now...and things are about to get interesting xD**

**.**

It was very grey and dim inside Mirkwood. Fortunately, there was just enough light peeking through the tops of the trees so the company could see where they were going. The air felt close in the atmosphere, it was almost unnatural.

They all were silently walking single file along the Elven path with Thorin at the head. Aira found herself walking behind Balin and in front of Kili. Her eyes scanned the trees all around them, noticing how the trunks and the branches twisted in many strange ways. An almost eerie silence hung over their heads and it was making Aira nervous.

_"We should not be here…!"_ she thought apprehensively to herself. _"This feels too dangerous…we should have gone around."_

She noticed Thorin kick the dirt on the ground in front of him and then declare, "The path turns this way!" Then he turned left, continuing to follow the path. Aira felt Kili lightly lay a hand against her back as she followed.

The path twisted and turned all throughout the forest, winding through the trees, over rocks and stone overhangs. It felt as if they were wandering around for hours upon hours. Aira could feel the soles of her feet were getting tired and sore, but she chose to ignore it, knowing it would probably be a long while before they could rest. She looked back at Fili and Kili. She could tell they were getting tired, but they weren't letting it get to them. The rest of their companions behind them looked about the same. Aira knew it was just a long day…or days…she honestly had no idea how long they had been in there.

Eventually they stopped for a brief moment to find which way the path turned. Dwalin was tapping the ground with the butt of his axe until he heard the sound of stone beneath it. "This way," he said and took another left turn.

Thorin followed him, but stopped to hold up a tree branch that was hanging low out of the way as Aira, Fili and Kili came up behind him. He gave them a quick nod before turning back to follow Dwalin.

No one knew how much more time passed as they continued on, but along the way, things started to change. The air began to feel heavy and constrictive. It made everyone in the company start to feel a little lightheaded, which affected their movements as they kept walking.

"Air…I need air!" gasped Aira eventually, her hand moving up just below her throat, finding it hard to breathe.

"My head…!" she heard Oin complain. "It's swimming…what's happening?"

Just then, the line stopped and everyone came to a halt.

"Why aren't we moving?" Thorin demanded gruffly. He stepped out of line and walked to the front to Nori, who was now leading them.

"Nori, why have we stopped?" Thorin asked him.

Looking completely flabbergasted, Nori pointed in front of him and exclaimed, "The path…it's disappeared!"

Those in front of the line looked and, to their surprise and disappointment, they saw that they were close to the edge of a large ravine. It was far too long for them to even try and make their way to the other side. Now, they had a problem.

"What's going on?" Dwalin cried out further back.

"We've lost the path!" Oin answered him.

"It has to be here somewhere!" said Aira. "We have to find it!"

"Find it!" Thorin ordered urgently. "All of you, look! Look for the path!"

With their heads swimming and spinning, everyone in the company scattered about to try and find the path. They could all feel that something in the air was making their heads ache, which made them slower in looking and moving around.

Aira trudged around a few trees, looking down at the ground, and felt her head start to reel again and her body wobbled a little. She laid a hand against the trunk of the nearest tree to brace herself, but then suddenly jerked her hand away in surprise, eliciting a tiny cry from her. The bark had stung her hand; it felt as if it was made of millions of tiny needles that had just pricked her skin. Hesitantly, she moved away from the tree and resumed searching for the path. She could hear some of the others talking, but when she heard them, their voices echoed and bounced around in her head and sounded slightly slurred, which was very strange.

"I don't remember this place," exclaimed Balin. "None of it's familiar!"

"But it's got to be here!" said Dori.

"What hour is it?" Thorin called out, his voice sounding tired.

"I don't know…," Dwalin answered. "I do not even know what day it is…."

"Is there no end to this accursed forest?!" Thorin cried out hopelessly.

"We've been searching for hours…!" Fili called out across the way, irritated.

"Surely, the path is here somewhere!" Kili added.

Desperate, Thorin ordered everyone to keep moving but to keep their eyes out for the path. They all slowly and tiredly trudged along again through the forest.

Aira was starting to feel slightly sick and stepped off to the side to catch her breath and let the wave of brief nausea subside as the company continued onward. She braced her hands on her knees and started breathing heavily as she could feel the unpleasant feelings in her stomach lessen.

Just as it went away, she heard a twig snap nearby. Immediately, she straightened up and her hand shot up to the hilt of her sword, ready to defend herself. Aira looked to where she heard the noise and was startled to see a figure peeking at her from behind a distant tree.

It was a beardless Dwarf-woman with curly auburn hair, adorned with gold and silver beads in multiple braids. She was clad in a flowing white dress with a golden belt. She was peering around a tree and smiling invitingly.

To Aira, the woman looked a lot like…her.

But it couldn't be. The woman appeared quite a bit older than Aira. Was she seeing a vision of her future self? No, it didn't feel like that either. Something about the woman still felt familiar, but not quite in that fashion; it felt familiar in a more distant sort of way…as if she knew her somehow, even though she was sure she had never seen the woman before.

Then Aira suddenly realized who the woman was; someone she, indeed, had never before met but whom she had been told multiple times that she was the mirror image of.

"Mother…?" she asked out loud, still completely stunned.

Telyna said nothing, but simply smiled and nodded her head. Then she turned her back to Aira and began to walk away at a fast pace.

"No, wait!" Aira cried, starting after her. "Mother! Wait, come back!"

Her mother was swiftly winding her way through the many twisted trees and Aira was going as fast as she could to catch up with her. Her mother was there, how was that possible? She had to know. She saw Telyna round a corner and then sped up to catch her. But when she went around the corner, her mother had disappeared and she found herself looking upon a different sight…something far more horrible.

Scattered upon the ground before her, all beaten, torn and bloody, laid every member of the company…dead…the dirt and the leaves stained crimson with their blood.

Aira's hands flew to her mouth to stifle her gasp and horrified scream. She started to slowly move forward, her eyes looking about and observing everybody through the tears that were forming. There were a couple that had arrows protruding from their chests or backs. Others had been run through with swords or axes or were burned severely by fire. Every set of brothers, she found, were all near each other, each of them seeming to be reaching out for one another just before their lives were ended. They had protected their own in their final moments.

She heard a low groan nearby and her head whipped around to find the source. She saw slight movement of a red jacket and a familiar head of dirty blonde curls and knew right away who it was. Quickly, she darted over to the lone survivor and dropped down to her knees beside him.

"Bilbo!" she gasped as she looked down at him.

The poor Hobbit's face was dirty and grey with soot, mixed with smears of his own blood. The entire right side of his body had been badly burned and the front of his clothes had been torn, leaving the appearance of claw marks through his chest and abdomen. She could see the deep, almost black gashes in his skin underneath the red-stained fabric. With shallow, faded breaths, his eyes fluttered open feebly and he looked up at her, his eyes full of despair.

"I'm sorry…Aira…," he croaked very weakly. "We tried…_I _tried…."

And in that all too brief moment, Bilbo's eyes closed again and his head fell to the side as he joined the rest of their companions in death.

"Bilbo…!" Aira cried again, her voice cracking with sadness, shedding a few tears onto his jacket.

She stood back up and then noticed Fili, Kili and Thorin all lying together a couple yards away. She dashed over to their bodies and felt her heart break as she looked down upon them. Fili and Kili were close to each other, their fingertips barely an inch apart. Both of them had multiple arrows in them and a cruelly spiked spear laid next to Thorin's body, having been removed from him and showing a large hole in his side.

"No…no…!" Aira gasped, running her hands over her face and through her hair frantically.

But then suddenly, Thorin's eyes flashed open and she jumped back. Her mind flashed back to one of her past nightmares as she looked into his eyes. They were glowing eerily like the Arkenstone again, gazing blankly up at her, which worried her.

Then she heard a deep, growling voice in the air shout, _"Kill the she-Dwarf!"_

However, the voice spoke the command in the language of the Orcs.

She spun around, looking for the one who had given the order and turned back around just in time to see a large, black Orc arrow flying right towards her. With a startled cry, Aira dropped down to the ground flat on her stomach and shielded her head with her arms. She waited to hear the sound of the arrow making contact with a tree behind her, but there was only silence.

Panting, Aira slowly sat back up and realized that she was alone. All of the bodies of her family and companions she thought she had seen had all vanished. She had imagined it all; everything had just been an illusion, which relieved her immensely.

Just as she was getting over her initial shock, she heard someone quietly say her name and felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled and still a little unnerved, she flinched, whipped around and found herself looking up at Fili, who had jerked his hand away and looked quite startled himself.

"Aira, it's just me!" he said calmly, slowly sinking down to his knees next to her. "You wandered off and I just came to find you."

She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is it really you, Fili?"

"Yes, it's really me," he answered, offering his hand out to her.

Gradually, she reached out for him until their fingertips lightly brushed together. She could feel him and that told her that he was real. With that reassurance, she took his hand and he pulled her up to her feet. Once she was standing, she threw her arms tightly around his neck.

"I thought you were lost to me…!" she said against the fur of his jacket.

He gently rubbed her back. "It's all right, Aira, we're just up here," he answered, pointing over to his left in another direction. He didn't know what she had seen; he had thought she was referring to her wandering off and getting lost. With that, he took her hand and they jogged back through the trees until they found the company again. They had stopped in a very web-infested area and Aira noticed Ori bend over and pick something up from the ground.

"Look…a tobacco pouch," said Dori, taking the item from his brother. "There's Dwarves in these woods…," he pointed out with slightly slurred speech.

He handed the pouch to Bofur, who added, "Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine!"

"Because it _is_ yours!" Bilbo pointed out. "You understand? We're going around in circles, we are lost!" he said, doing a circular motion with his hand. He seemed to be the only one in the group who wasn't affected too much by whatever was in the air.

Thorin then stepped forward and said to contradict him, "We are not lost! We keep heading east."

"But which way is east? We've lost the sun!" cried Oin.

Aira opened her mouth to say something, but her head started buzzing and spinning again and she felt dizzy. She groaned tiredly and her hands lifted to her temples, trying to soothe the uncomfortable feelings. She could hear the company all beginning to bicker amongst themselves, but her head was buzzing so much that their voices sounded distant.

The fighting of the Dwarves soon escalated and they started pushing and shoving each other back. Someone pushed Dori forward and he ended up bumping right into Aira's back, making her stumble down into the dirt. Now her head hurt even more from the sudden lurch and she didn't even bother getting back up.

Then she heard Thorin shout, "Enough! Quiet, all of you!"

Everyone was silenced and they turned to look at their leader.

He glanced at them, a sense of fear in his face and his voice as he whispered, "We're being watched…!"

As he said that, Aira could hear ghostly whispers in the air that shook her to the core. She couldn't make out what the voices were saying, but she knew there really was something out there.

"He's right!" she exclaimed, standing back up. All heads turned to look her. She continued groggily, "We _are_ being watched. There's something out there in the trees…I can hear them. I'm hearing voices; whispers in the air…."

"You hear them, as well?" Thorin asked her.

She nodded in response.

He turned back to the company. "Be on your guard," he ordered warily.

But just then they heard the rustling of branches not too far ahead and they all drew their weapons, scanning the tops of the trees above them for any signs of movement.

"What was that?" asked Dwalin out loud, brandishing his twin axes.

"Whatever it is…it can't be good…," Balin hesitantly answered.

"Here, let me take a look," said Kili as he sheathed his sword, jogged to the nearest tree and began to climb it.

"Kili, wait!" Aira called after him in a hushed voice. Whatever they heard was in the trees and she didn't want Kili to be up there where he was vulnerable, but he was already up on a branch and was acrobatically making his way to the next highest one.

Suddenly, they heard a half-cry behind them. They all whipped around, but didn't see anything there.

"Where did Bombur go?" asked Bofur.

It was then they noticed that Bombur wasn't there. No one had seen him leave…he just simply vanished.

There was another cry and they all turned again. Still, there was nothing there.

"Balin? Where's Balin?" Dwalin then asked as he circled about in place looking for his brother, sounding concerned.

Like Bombur, Balin too had just vanished without a trace.

Aira inched closer to where Thorin stood until she barely brushed against his shoulder, both of them holding their swords up defensively. He looked down at her, his eyes reflecting his anxiety.

"We have to get out of here…!" Aira whispered apprehensively to him.

Thorin opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off all of a sudden by Kili shouting, "Look out!"

Within seconds, a large horde of giant spiders began dropping from the treetops, still attached to long strings of webs from their bodies, down to the ground where the Dwarves all stood.

They all shouted in defense as well as surprise at the sudden arrival of the eight-legged creatures that were hissing and squealing at them menacingly.

"Scatter, all of you!" Thorin ordered, urging them back.

Quickly, they all started to spread out, but, unfortunately, the spiders were quicker than they were. One by one, they were all attacked and overcome by the evil creatures. Once caught, they were jabbed with a spider's stinger and paralyzed before being taken up into the treetops.

As Aira ran, she saw Dwalin, Bifur, Nori, Ori and Fili all get taken within the span of a few seconds and she was growing even more fearful. Soon, Thorin fell prey to the creatures as well. Aira remembered that Kili was still in a tree and right away, she had to get to him.

"Kili!" she shouted as she made her way to the tree he was still in.

"Hang on, Aira! I'm com—"

Now dreading what had just happened by the abrupt cutoff from Kili, Aira stopped in place and was petrified as she watched a spider, which had been hiding in the canopy directly above, withdraw its stinger from the side of Kili's neck and his suddenly limp body fell off the branch. He fell a few meters and then landed hard directly on his head before his motionless body slumped over on the ground.

That entire moment, Aira had forgotten how to breathe, too shocked to even move. But then she remembered how as she cried out for him in worry and started to run towards him.

However, she had only gone a few feet before a sharp, searing pain in the back of her shoulder stopped her. Immediately, her body felt cold, frigid and was losing the strength to stand. Black spots and little stars clouded her vision as she slumped over, feeling herself being caught and wrapped closely by eight prickly legs to the body of the spider that stung her.

"Kili…," she murmured in a daze just before her mouth filled up with frothy foam and she was then carried upwards, her entire world turning to complete darkness.

* * *

Aira eyes fluttered open as she awoke to clicking and scuffling noises close by. However, she realized that she was hanging upside down, completely wrapped in a tight, sticky white cocoon and she could barely move.

Her breathing quickened as she remembered the spider attacks and what had happened to the company. Where were they? More importantly, were they all still alive? And what of Thorin and Fili? Or Kili, most of all? After the falling from the tree, he could've been seriously hurt!

What was going to happen to them; to _her_? She could hear the spiders nearby, so surely they were going to try and eat the Dwarves. Was there a way out of this? With the limitations to her movements, Aira concluded that there wasn't. It seemed as though they were done for.

She heard movement close to her and then a creepy, raspy voice whispered, _"Ooh, this one is a female…very tender…and juicy, good enough to eat!"_

Something started prodding at her feet and, as best she could, she gave a kick with her leg to push the spider away.

It let out a screech and cried, _"It's alive and kicking! Kill it, kill it now!"_

Aira expected the spiders to attack her immediately, but they prolonged it and were slow to approach her, preparing themselves for a tasty meal.

_"Let us feast! Feast! Feast! Feast!"_

She whimpered quietly as she heard the spiders approaching, hissing and groaning, just waiting for them to get it done.

Just then, there was a clattering sound and one spider wailed, _"What is it? What is it?"_ Then the sounds of their movements grew faint. They had left.

_"What's going on?"_ Aira wondered.

But then she heard more hissing right beside her. There was one that had stuck behind and she could feel the tips of its legs prodding at her body.

_"Tender…and juicy…!"_ it creepily whispered, sending chills down Aira's back.

Then she heard a _snap _and was suddenly dropped a couple feet until she landed flat on her back. Then the spider started to crush her a little with its weight on top of her, slowly squeezing the breath out of her.

_"Just a little taste…,"_ the spider hissed evilly.

Just when Aira thought it was going to be the end of her, the spider all of a sudden wailed and jumped off of her. From the tone of its scream, it sounded in pain. Then it wailed again and Aira also heard the sound of a sword being swung and clanging as it made contact with the spider. Someone was out there fighting the spider! But who was it and how did they escape?

_"Where is it? Where is it?!"_ she heard the spider demand.

"Here!" someone whispered. Sadly, the person spoke quietly and Aira couldn't determine to whom the voice belonged to. Still, she felt more hopeful knowing someone was coming to her rescue.

There was an ugly noise of metal piercing flesh and the spider's agonizing shriek then pierced the air. _"It stings! Stings!"_ it screamed.

There was a small _thud_, then a brief silence before the sound of something crashing on the floor below. The spider was dead.

The voice spoke again, "Sting…that's a good name! Sting!" and this time, she was more certain of who it was who had just saved her.

"Bilbo?" she cried, her voice slightly muffled through the web.

"Yes, Aira, it's me!" he answered.

_"Oh, thank Mahal!"_ she thought gladly.

"I'm going to cut you free along with the others!" he informed her. "Hold on!"

She heard his sword cut the remaining piece of web that held her up and then the stimulating sensation of falling coursed through her body as she descended through the air, landing softly on some webs before making contact with the ground. Once she touched down, Aira started wrenching around, trying to free herself. She then could hear the sounds of the others hitting the ground, following by groans and cries as they too tried to break free. However, she was having a hard time getting out.

"Where's Bilbo?" she heard Bofur ask.

"I'm up here!" came Bilbo's cry from above, but then there was a slight cry. Aira assumed he had run into yet another giant eight-legged creature.

Aira still could not break the barrier of the web she was encased in well enough. She tugged and pulled and pushed as hard as she could, but it just wouldn't give.

"Help! Somebody, help me!" she shouted.

"Aira?" she heard someone cry out.

Only seconds later did she hear heavy footsteps, followed by the sound of a sword being dropped in the dirt and then she felt someone kneel beside her. There was a low grunt and then she saw the web being stretched and torn as it was starting to get pulled away from the outside. Seeing there was now a tear, Aira helped whoever was assisting her and starting breaking it from the inside. Within moments, she was able to stretch out her arms to the sides and completely break the webby cocoon. Then she found herself locking gazes with Thorin leaning over her, his deep blue eyes wide with panic, anxiety and also a hint of relief.

He cupped her face in his hands and asked through labored breaths, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she answered. But as she looked up past his head, she saw another spider jumping from a tree branch and soaring right towards them. "Look out!" she shouted.

Thorin whipped around and saw the spider, as well. However, he had dropped Orcrist to help free Aira and realized there was no time for him to retrieve it. Impulsively, he bent over, wrapped his arms around Aira and clutched her close to his chest, shielding her from the oncoming arachnid.

There was a loud yell, the sound of stone meeting bone and then was followed by a _crash!_ Both Thorin and Aira looked and noticed the spider was lying dead only a few feet away. Then they saw Bofur standing before them, panting, and wielding his giant war hammer. Clearly, he had come to their aid just in time for his hammer to do a bit of damage.

Before either of them could utter a word of thanks, Bofur jumped forward and took one of Aira's arms as Thorin took the other. "Come on, there's more coming!" he warned them.

Aira got back to her feet, unsheathed her sword and then the three of them caught up with the rest of the company, running at great speed with the rest of the horde of spiders on their tail. Soon the spiders were upon them and they had no choice but to fight.

Dwalin lunged forward and slammed his hammer into a spider's face; Thorin whirled around majestically and sliced the leg of another. Aira sidestepped and dodged one that charged her before bringing her sword down upon its back and killing it. Then she turned just in time to see a few of the other Dwarves ripping the legs out of another spider's body to free Bombur from underneath it. They all were fighting hard, slicing off the many limbs of the spiders and killing them off one by one, even though there were many.

"Thorin!" she heard Dwalin shout as Thorin was being charged by a spider. Then the burly Dwarf intercepted it by full-on tackling the creature to the ground and then punching it dead in the face.

Close by, she saw Kili too was running from a spider but he was caught in its eight legs rather quickly.

"Kili!" she shouted in worry as she jumped forward and sliced one of its legs off. After being freed, Kili turned and thrust his sword right up into the spider's mouth and Aira shoved hers into its side. It squealed as they withdrew their weapons and then it dropped dead.

Kili looked at Aira curiously and then uttered, "Thank you," to her.

Why he had said it that way, she wasn't sure, but she didn't have much time to think about as another creature started charging them.

"Go!" he cried urgently, shoving her firmly yet gently away before taking a defensive stance.

Her momentum kept her moving, but Aira wanted to turn back. She wasn't going to leave him; she couldn't let him fight the spider alone. Although, before she could go back to Kili, Nori came up next to her, took hold of her arm and started pulling her along. She resisted for a second but then found it useless and decided to join the rest of the company as they started to run again. Most of the spiders had been dealt with already and it seemed as though they were all gone, but none of the Dwarves believed that for a minute.

"Come on, keep up!" Dwalin bellowed to those who were falling behind.

"Clear!" Thorin cried out as he circled about, making sure there were no more spiders around. But then he stopped as another giant arachnid dropped from the trees in front of them, blocking their way.

Then there was movement up in the treetops and they all looked up, thinking it was another spider coming. But they were surprised to see it was the figure of a person running through the trees. They jumped onto a web, swung down the web to the ground and then they slid across the dirt underneath the spider, slicing its underside with their weapon.

The Dwarves all raised their weapons as the person stood up directly in front of them and pulled out a bow and arrow, aiming it directly at Thorin's head.

It was an Elf.

Then, out of nowhere, an entire team of Elves all appeared and encircled the company, each with their bows and arrows drawn and at the ready.

The Dwarves were surrounded.

The Elf in front of them, who was tall with long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and dressed in Elven armor, drew his arrow further back in warning and spat out at Thorin, "Do not think I won't kill you, Dwarf! It would be my pleasure."

Thorin growled deep within his chest. This was exactly what he _didn't_ want to have happen when going through the forest; this was what he wanted to try and avoid. Seeing as they were surrounded, he reluctantly lowered his sword and the rest of the company did the same.

Suddenly, they heard a distressed cry in the distance that sounded like Kili.

"Kili!" both Fili and Aira cried out, panicking.

"Silence!" the blonde Elf ordered them in a harsh voice, turning his bow towards them. The two young Dwarves glared at him, but kept silent. Fili took Aira's hand in his to try and calm her down and she grasped his hand firmly in return.

A couple of moments passed when they heard leaves crunching nearby and a tall Elf maiden with long, fiery red hair came through the trees, pushing Kili ahead of her. Aira heaved a sigh of relief in seeing that he was all right.

"Search them!" the blonde Elf ordered to his troops after the Elf woman put Kili with the others in their huddle. The Elves all came forward and started to search the Dwarves, who all grudgingly stood their ground and let themselves be searched and relieved of their weapons, all the while glaring coldly at the Elves.

"Tauriel!" the blonde Elf called to the Elf woman. She stepped forward and he gestured towards Aira. "Search that one, since she is a female."

"Yes, Legolas," Tauriel answered with a nod as she took a step towards Aira.

She held up her hand to the Elf woman. "No need," she said firmly as she lifted her sword, turned it so the hilt was facing the other way and held it out to the Elf. "This is the only weapon I possess." What she said was true, but moreover, she didn't want an Elf near her in fear that Tauriel would find the key around her neck. She just wanted to get it over and done with.

Luckily, Tauriel took the sword and didn't even question her, which, to Aira, was quite strange, but she said nothing as Tauriel moved away. She warily glanced to Fili next to her, who was still having weapons from his secret, personal arsenal removed from his clothes, muttering under his breath as each one was discovered and removed.

Legolas was searching Gloin when he removed something from in his beard and the Dwarf growled, "Hey, give it back! That's private!" It was a small golden locket that he carried with him at all times.

The Elf glanced down at the pictures inside. "Who is this? Your brother?" he asked Gloin disdainfully, referring to the picture on the left.

"That is my _wife_!" Gloin corrected him, sounding offended at the Elf's assumption.

Legolas shifted the locket and looked at the picture on the right. "And what is this horrid creature…Goblin mutant?"

"That's my wee lad, Gimli!"

Without a word, Legolas raised his eyebrows questioningly and then proceeded to go over to Tauriel, speaking to her in Elvish briefly before he was called over by another Elf who held out Orcrist to him. He took the sword and examined it closely, mumbling Elvish words to himself as he flourished it around.

Aira could feel Thorin tensing up beside her, knowing he didn't like watching an Elf handle his sword, despite the fact it _was_ a weapon of Elvish make.

Legolas lowered the sword, looked to Thorin with an angry, stony look on his face and demanded, "Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me," he replied in almost a whisper, trying to retain his anger and distrust.

However, Legolas didn't buy that excuse at all. He pointed the sword at Thorin's throat, making the rest of the company flinch, and said, "Not just a thief, but a liar, as well."

Aira was not going to let him get away with that comment. "He is no liar!" she spat, earning a cold glare from Legolas. "He speaks the truth. That sword was given to him with the blessing of Lord Elrond of Rivendell himself!"

"You expect me to believe that?" Legolas questioned her, slowly striding over to where she stood.

Keeping a firm reserve, she replied smartly, "We are Dwarves. Do you really think we would lie about associating with Elves or having Elvish weapons just to save our skins from the likes of _you_?"

"Yes, I do," he answered, now pointing the sword at her.

Thorin flinched beside her, but Aira did not. She simply stood her ground and kept her hard, unwavering gaze locked with Legolas's.

"Your kind is nothing but dishonest," he hissed at her. He then shouted an Elvish command to his troops and they came forward and started to push the Dwarves along, taking them away.

"Thorin…where's Bilbo?" Bofur asked as he passed by.

Both Thorin and Aira whipped around and realized that they hadn't noticed if Bilbo was even there. They looked and he was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?" asked Aira. "He was just here."

Before Thorin could give her an answer, she was shoved forward by one of Elves, eliciting a menacing growl from Thorin as he too was pushed forward and they walked along.

Aira made her way by Kili and whispered to him, "Kili, I'm so glad you're all right. You really took quite a fall."

When he looked at her, she was surprised to see a puzzled look on his face. She herself was now feeling perplexed as to why he appeared like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Kili…?" she asked curiously.

He slightly shook his head and said, "I'm sorry…but do I know you?"

Aira was taken aback immediately. What did he just say?

"It—it's me, Aira," she stammered, unsure of what was going on.

His narrowed a little and he shook his head again. "I'm sorry, I don't know anyone by that name."

Now, she felt as though a stone wall had hit her square in the chest. What was going on? Why was Kili acting like he didn't know her?

"No…," she mumbled in disbelief.

"Aira, what's the matter?" asked Fili beside her, who had noticed her shocked expression.

"Kili…; he doesn't know who I am," she answered.

Fili looked baffled. "How?"

"I don't know…I do remember he fell off a tree earlier and landed on his head. Maybe that's the cause?"

Fili then turned to Kili to test their theory. If the cause of his memory loss was because he hit his head, then he most likely would have forgotten just about everything else.

As they kept walking, Fili asked him, "Kili, do you know who I am?"

Kili grinned and said, "Of course, I do! You're my brother."

Aira's heart dropped. It wasn't an injury to the head after all…now she was really worried.

"Although…," Kili continued, "…where are we, Fili? And why are we here?"

Both Aira and Fili shared a concerned glance before Fili replied, "You don't remember why we're here?"

"I remember Uncle Thorin saying something about a quest and we wanted to go with him…is that why we're here?"

"Yes…we're going back to Erebor. We're in Mirkwood right now."

"I thought Mirkwood was a realm of the Elves? Thorin hates Elves, why would we be here?"

"We had no choice. So you don't remember anything about the quest?"

Kili closed his eyes, thinking, for a moment and then replied, "No, I can't. I'm sorry."

Sounding frustrated, Fili went on, "You can't remember the quest and you can't remember Aira at all?" He gestured to Aira. "She is our best friend. She is your fiancée; your One!"

Kili turned and glanced at Aira, who was gazing at him with sad yet hopeful eyes. But then he just shrugged and said, "I'm quite certain that if she truly was my One, I _would_ know her and recognize her."

His words cut her deep like a knife in the heart and tears began to form in her eyes. What was happening? What had happened to Kili; her best friend, her love? She couldn't believe this was happening.

"Kili, no!" she protested. "How is this possible? How can you not remember me?"

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Tauriel, who had been walking a couple steps ahead and had then stopped when she heard Aira's comments.

Aira whipped around to face her. "You!" she snarled, pointing at the Elf woman, and then motioning to Kili. "You were the one who came back with him in the forest. What did you do to him?!"

"I give you my word that I did absolutely nothing to him," Tauriel replied in a firm yet calm manner.

While a bit surprised at Tauriel's calmness, Aira went on, "Then why is it he's lost his memories?"

Tauriel inhaled and then exhaled sharply. "I did notice that he was stung by a spider high up on his neck. I believe the poison from the spider's stinger is in his blood and has affected his mind."

"What are you talking about?" asked Fili, full of scorn.

"I have seen this happen with some of my soldiers in the past," Tauriel explained. "The spider's poison flows through his blood and has infected his mind…and that causes memory lapses."

Aira noticed a slight look of sadness in Tauriel's eyes. She was telling the truth, which surprised the young Dwarf woman even more.

The Elf maiden paused briefly and then stated before leading them back to the others, "Sadly, there is no cure for it."

That one sentence was the final blow that made Aira's world start to crash down upon her.

Kili had lost his memories of the quest and, worst of all, of _her_…and there was nothing they could do to save him.

.

**Ohhhh snap! xD**

**Awful cliffhanger, I know...! And just wait...I'm just getting started! xD Please don't hurt me!**

**Leave a review or PM me with your thoughts, my awesome readers! :D**


	5. One King to Another

**Wow, I'm actually surprised at myself for how fast I was able to write this chapter and update the story! I guess I was just fueled by all the great reviews and responses I got from the last chapter! :D**

**Yes, I know, the end was cruel and a lot of you may question my motives behind Kili's memory loss, but I promise you, it will be expounded upon over the next couple chapters and it all make sense and come together eventually. I have a plan...just trust me! ;)**

**And now...hold tight cuz this ride's about to get even bumpier! xD**

**.**

The Dwarves were led out of the forest and to the great Elven fortress of the Woodland Realm. None of them were at all enthusiastic about being there, since it was the one place they wanted to avoid altogether. Reluctantly, they trudged through the large gate and heard the echo of it closing behind them.

They were led down a winding bridge made from tree branches, through a long hall with numerous, twisted pillars of marble, until they came to a platform with a large, wooden throne. Above the throne hung a giant pair of moose antlers and lounging upon the throne was an Elf with long, blonde locks and dark eyebrows, dressed in the finest, silver robes and intricate jewelry. His head was adorned with a large crown made of twigs, vines and red berries and in his hand he held a large scepter. He was, in Elvish terms, fair to look upon. However, his fair features were slightly hidden under his cold, stony gaze which he cast upon the Dwarven company that was brought before him.

This was Thranduil, the Elvenking of Mirkwood; the Elf who had abandoned the Dwarves of Erebor the day Smaug besieged the mountain.

Everyone in the company was roughly pushed forward until they stood before the Elf King, all of them glaring up at him. Aira, who was already feeling upset about what had happened to Kili, felt her anger boiling inside her as she laid eyes for the first time upon the Elf who had betrayed her father. She noticed that he too was angry as she saw his fists clenching tightly at his sides.

"We found these Dwarves trespassing through the forest," Legolas reported to the King. "What would you have us do with them?"

Thranduil's gaze examined the company of Dwarves before him before he answered in a low, smooth voice, "Take them to the dungeons. All of them except…." He slowly raised a hand and pointed at Thorin in the front. "Him."

But then his hand drifted just slightly to his left.

"And the young woman."

Aira froze, startled. What could the Elvenking possibly want with her? She looked around at everyone in the company and, judging by their expressions, found they were thinking the same thing. No one was surprised that Thranduil wanted to keep Thorin around, but they were surprised that he wanted her there, too.

Without hesitation, the Elven soldiers pushed the rest of the company forward and led them all to the dungeons where they were roughly shoved into all the individual cells.

"This is not the end of it! Do you hear me?!" Dwalin shouted furiously.

As Fili was being put into his cell, an Elf soldier discovered one more large hunting knife hidden away inside his jacket that they had missed. Fili sighed exasperatedly as it was confiscated, thinking he had managed to sneak one weapon past them.

Kili, on the opposite side, was being put in his cell by Tauriel. He turned to her and asked her, "Aren't you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers…!" Personally, he had no idea why that statement had come to mind, but it seemed like a good idea and a clever thing to say.

But she simply raised her eyebrows and retorted back before closing the cell door on him, "Or nothing."

Kili watched her as she walked away and felt his lips curl up into a grin. She hadn't reacted to his remark in disgust or flattery. She had, without hesitation, responded with a clever comeback, despite how demeaning towards him it was. She was fiery and had spunk…and he actually kind of liked that. That added to the fact that he already found her quite fair and lovely to look upon. He had thought so upon seeing her face for the first time after she saved him from the spiders.

"I see that look, brother!" came Fili's voice from across the way.

Kili glanced over and saw Fili partially glaring at him through the bars.

"What of it?" he asked.

"She is an Elf!"

"And what of _that_?"

"She cannot be trusted, Kili! And besides, you have someone already! You have Aira. You cannot do this to her."

Kili groaned quietly, irritated. Why was his brother suddenly so adamant about him and that other Dwarf-girl being together? He didn't know her. Both Fili and the girl, Aira, were trying to convince him that he knew her and that they had a history, but yet he had no recollection of anything involving her whatsoever. To him, she was just a stranger; a slightly odd and forward girl who was trying to get his attention.

"Fili, I told you: if she really is my One; my true love, then I'm certain I would know it."

"But you _can't_ remember! That's the point! Your mind has been infected with poison and has made you lose your memories of her. I'm trying to help you remember or at least see that you still have something worth holding on to. You have Aira and I have Maori; we both found love together!"

"Who is Maori?"

"Oh, by Mahal…!" Fili slammed the palm of his hand onto his forehead hard and shook his head in unbelief. "You have forgotten her, as well? She's Aira's friend that—"

"Look, just save your breath, brother! I don't know who that girl, Aira, is and honestly, right now, I have no interest in knowing her. The both of you are so set on the notion that we should be together for many reasons I don't know and it's really irritating me!"

Fili couldn't believe his ears; that he was hearing such words coming from Kili. His heart and mind were both seriously upset and incredibly angry with his brother at the same time.

He gripped the handle bars to try and calm his building anger. "Kili, I swear…," he said in a low, rough-edged tone, "if we were not in these cells and I had my weapons, I would club you over the head with the hilt of my short-sword!"

Kili's eyebrows rose almost challengingly at him.

"It's horrible enough that the spider poison has made you forget Aira completely," Fili went on, sounding angry still, "but the fact that you don't even want to _try_ and remember her and what you have together is even worse! You are choosing to cast aside the greatest thing that has ever happened to you! I will not stand by and watch you break her heart!

Kili sat back against the wall of his cell, turned his face away and replied, "I'm sorry, Fili…but it's just no use."

Over in his cell, Fili ran a hand up and down his face, frustrated and bewildered. He couldn't believe this was happening. Kili and Aira had a strong and true love together and now it was all completely gone. Kili wasn't going to even attempt to try and remember any of it and that infuriated Fili to no end. He wasn't going to let it end that way.

_"When we get out of these filthy Elf dungeons, I'm going to get him to love Aira again if it's the last thing I do!"_ he vowed in his mind as he began to kick at the bars of the cell in aggravation.

In the other cells, some of the other Dwarves, like Dwalin, Oin and Gloin were also throwing themselves against the doors to try and break them down.

"Leave it!" Balin shouted so everyone could hear. "There's no way out!" He sighed. "This is no Orc dungeon. These are the halls of the Woodland Realm. No one leaves here…but by the King's consent."

That only made the Dwarves more angry or upset.

If no one left but by the King's consent…then they were never getting out.

* * *

After the company had been taken away, both Thorin and Aira stood alone on the platform, aside from some Elven guards standing off the sides. They remained silent as they looked up at Thranduil, still casually lounging on his throne.

He cast a malicious grin at them. "It has been a long time since Thorin Oakenshield travelled so far east," he stated cooly. "For what purpose, I wonder…."

The Elvenking gracefully stood up from his throne and began to slowly walk down the staircase to his right that led down to the platform, the train of his robe trailing behind him.

Aira tightened her fists together. She didn't want the Elf traitor to come anywhere near her or Thorin. Being in his presence sickened her and she could only imagine what he would say or do now that he had them in his halls.

As he came down onto the platform and gradually approached them, Thranduil said, "However, before I delve into that matter…." He waved a hand to his guards who then came forward and suddenly grabbed Thorin by the arms and started pulling him back.

Surprised, Aira stood in place, hesitant as to what was happening and what she should do, and watched as Thorin struggled against the guards for a moment.

"…I wish to speak to the young lady in our midst." Thranduil's head tilted and he glanced at Aira with a suspicious look in his icy blue eyes.

She felt her throat tighten up and she took a slight step back, feeling more than uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her and at the fact he wanted to speak to her.

"If you _dare_ lay a hand on her…," Thorin growled, his hands clenching into tight fists and he tried once more to wrench himself free.

But Thranduil held up a hand and replied almost patronizingly, "Stay your anger, Oakenshield. I mean her no harm." He took another step closer to Aira and looked her over curiously. "Tell me your name, child," he said.

Aira stiffened, internally debating whether or not she should answer, even though she mostly didn't want to. But then she figured that, if she just answered whatever he asked her, it would be over soon enough. However, even though she decided to answer, she really didn't wish for him to know her real name.

So she cast a hard glance up at him and simply replied, "Telyna."

Even though he didn't show it next to her, Thorin was briefly caught off guard by her response, but then caught on right away. She didn't trust the Elf and therefore didn't want him to know her true identity, using her mother's identity instead. Then he understood.

Thranduil remained silent and continued to stare at her peculiarly. He seemed to believe her little lie, for he did not question it. He began to slowly walk in a circle around her, continuing to look her over with a sense of curiosity in his face. He seemed somewhat intrigued by the presence of a female Dwarf travelling with a group of male Dwarves, as if it was a rare sight.

"What purpose does a young Dwarf-woman like you serve here?" he asked in a low voice as he rounded behind her. "You seem quite out of place amongst such a number of Dwarf men."

He came around in front of her again and gave her an inquisitive look. "Why _are_ you here, Telyna?" he questioned, drawing uncomfortably closer to her and making her shrink back.

Thorin snarled deeply within his chest just loud enough for Thranduil to hear and to consider himself warned. Without turning away, Thranduil took one step back away from Aira.

"You seem to be of great importance to Thorin Oakenshield," he deducted, "judging by how fiercely he is behaving in trying to protect you." He cast a side-glance at Thorin, who only glared back in response.

Then he turned back to Aira. "I can only imagine that would mean one thing…however, you appear quite young to be his consort."

"I am not his consort," she immediately said back. When Thranduil raised his eyebrows questioningly at her, she sighed, knowing she couldn't pretend; that there was no way out of this one. Then she corrected him, "I am his daughter."

The Elvenking's eyebrows went higher up on his forehead. "Oh, so the Dwarf King has found a Queen in the last many years, I see…," he replied, acting like he was interested.

Aira scoffed lightly. "Oh, don't pretend that you care about the affairs of Dwarves! And no, he has not found a Queen." She sighed again. "I am his adopted daughter."

"And for what reason would the King of the Dwarves adopt a simple girl like you?" Thranduil asked, sounding condescending.

"That is none of your concern…!" she snapped, sneering up at him.

Her statement didn't seem to faze him at all, as his expression never changed. Instead of contradicting her right away, he took a step towards her and then, as if to taunt her, he lifted a hand to her hair and began to run and twist his fingers leisurely through one of her curly locks, eliciting a half-surprised, half-disgusted gasp from her.

This time, Thorin growled loudly and pushed against the arms of the guards holding him back, feeling a furious fire growing within him at the sight of the Elvenking touching his daughter.

Aira didn't dare move, even though every fiber of her being was screaming to push Thranduil away. She was afraid that, if she did, it would possibly anger him and then she, and possibly Thorin, also, would be in trouble. She kept still and simply let him touch her hair, just taking it and enduring it reluctantly.

With a trace of a triumphant smirk on his face, Thranduil bent over a little so that he looked directly into Aira's eyes that looked back at him steadfastly with a small touch of fear hidden within them.

"You are in _my_ realm now, my dear…," he said smugly, "…_everything_ is my concern."

She frowned at him. "I still refuse to grace your question with an answer."

He frowned back and removed his hand from her hair. Then his eyes looked down to the silver chain around her neck and then down to the emblem discs that hung from it. But then, as he looked longer at it, he glimpsed a small fraction of a leather cord underneath the chain as well as her shirt. Now, even more curious, he gently pushed the silver chain to the side and took the leather cord between his fingers.

His hand touching the cord triggered an inner alarm inside of Aira. _"Oh, gods…!"_ she thought, growing fearful at what was going to happen.

After he had a hold of the cord, Thranduil slowly lifted it up until the key to Erebor was pulled out from underneath Aira's shirt and it slid into the Elvenking's hand.

_"No…! No…!"_ Aira then thought despondently. He had discovered the key.

Thranduil turned the key in his hand, observing it carefully. "How intriguing…!" he muttered. "A key of stone…with ancient runes inscribed upon it…."

His gaze lifted up to Aira's again, his eyes now wide with slight realization. "This is no ordinary key," he pointed out. His head then turned and he gave a nod to his guards holding Thorin. They then released Thorin, giving him a slight shove forward.

Thorin cast a worried glance at Aira who returned the same look.

The Elvenking released the key, letting it fall back against Aira's chest, placed his hands behind his back and started casually walking to the side of the platform, speaking more out loud than to Thorin or Aira directly, "Everything is clear to me…some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand; a quest to reclaim a homeland…and slay a dragon."

He had figured them out. Yet Thorin kept silent, stood firm and kept his head held high, refusing to show any emotion to the Elf, keeping his expression hard as stone.

"I myself suspect a more prosaic motive:" Thranduil continued as he moved back in front of them, "attempted burglary…or something of that ilk." He glanced over at the key around Aira's neck for a second before turning back to Thorin. "You have found a way in," he declared as he started backing away. "You seek that which would bestow upon you the right to rule…the King's Jewel…the Arkenstone."

Hearing the stone's name being mentioned, Thorin felt a flicker of pain and remorse rise up in his heart at the memory of the Arkenstone and he turned his head away.

The Elvenking changed his attentions over to Aira. "Clearly, your father does not love you enough if he has brought you on such a dangerous and perilous journey," he stated to her, his tone sounding quite pretentious.

In response, Aira's jaw clenched and she glowered heatedly up at him.

He looked back to Thorin, his mouth curling up into a malicious grin, saying as the Dwarf glanced again at him, "The stone is precious to you beyond measure. I understand that…there are gems in the mountain that I too desire: white gems of pure starlight."

Then, bowing his head, he said, "I offer you my help."

That made Aira want to laugh out of spite. There was no way that Thranduil would ever dream of actually helping them! She knew that he was lying between his teeth and it just astounded her that he would have the nerve to speak such a lie to their faces.

Thorin didn't buy it, either. _"And where was this offer when Smaug came to Erebor…?"_ he wondered haughtily, which he almost spoke out loud.

But he figured he would humor the pretentious Elf King, so he grinned smugly, let out a quiet scoff and whispered in a deep, gravelly tone, "I am listening."

"I will let you go…if you but return what is mine," said the Elf King, now acting serious.

Thorin turned his back on Thranduil and took a couple steps away as if contemplating his proposal. "A favor for a favor…!" he stated, sounding like he was trying to understand what had been said.

"You have my word. One King to another," said Thranduil.

His last statement really struck a nerve with Aira. "You are no King!" she snapped. "You may wear a crown and sit upon a throne…but you will _never_ be a true King!"

Before she could say anything else or Thranduil could reply, Thorin then spoke, his voice low but loud enough to where it seemed as though everyone in the realm would hear him, "I would not trust Thranduil…the great King…to honor his word…should the end of all days be upon us!"

That was when the floodgates finally opened and Thorin's boiling anger at Thranduil that had been buried deep inside for so many years came bursting through.

He whipped around and pointed at the Elvenking and started bellowing so loudly, he startled him. "_You_…lack all honor!" he screamed, pounding his chest. He stepped forward, now beside Aira, as he continued furiously, "I have seen how you treat your friends! We came to you once…starving…homeless…seeking your help…but you turned your back! You turned away from the suffering of _my_ people in the inferno that destroyed us!"

Then his rage completely exploded as he roared in Khuzdul, "_Imrid amrad ursul!_" _(__**"Die a death of flames!"**__)_

In the blink of an eye, Thranduil, in one stride, suddenly appeared right in Thorin's face, his eyes and face blazing with fury. At this sudden movement, Thorin's arm on impulse had shot out to his side and pulled Aira close behind him protectively.

"Do not talk to me of dragon fire!" Thranduil hissed at Thorin in response to his outburst. "I know its wrath and ruin!"

His eyes then shut and he let out a gasp of pain as the left side of his face began to transform. The skin of the entire side dissolved away, showing the muscles beneath and terrible scarring resembling those received from burns. His eye lost its color and it became a ghostly white. Both Thorin and Aira were startled at this.

Thranduil inhaled sharply and declared, "I have faced the great serpents of the North!" Then he drew back and the grotesque illusion vanished, leaving the two Dwarves to only stare at him, bewildered.

"I warned your grandfather of what his greed would summon…," he said to Thorin, "…but he would not listen. You are just like him."

Before she could even think, Aira then exclaimed, "If you were so concerned about that, then why did you turn away from the Dwarves of Erebor in their time of need?"

"Hold your tongue, Air—Telyna!" Thorin whispered, catching himself quickly at his almost-mistake and remembering her ruse.

"No…," said Thranduil, grimacing, "let the child speak. I wish to hear what she has to say on a matter she knows nothing of."

Brushing Thorin's arm away, Aira said in response, "I know _plenty_ about what happened that day! What I know is the truth, told to me by those who lived that day and witnessed the destruction and your betrayal firsthand!"

She stepped forward as her tone rose in her anger, which had been fueled even more after hearing Thorin's outbreak from before. "And let me tell you this, you _imlekh_:" she said, insulting him by calling him a "lesser king" in Khuzdul, "you believe that Thorin, my father, does not love me because he brought me on this journey, but you are wrong! You know nothing about him! It is _because_ he loves me that I am here. He felt I deserved to join in reclaiming _our_ rightful homeland._"_

Thranduil cried something in Elvish and the guards came up behind Aira and Thorin, taking their arms once more. They both fought back as best they could, but the guards were strong.

The Elvenking approached Aira, a glare of displeasure in his eyes. He reached out and cradled the key hanging over her chest in his hand.

His voice then turned as cold as ice as he said, "Unfortunately…you cannot reclaim your homeland…without this."

With that, he grasped the key to Erebor firmly and wrenched his hand back, snapping the leather cord from around Aira's neck. She let out a pained cry from her head being jerked forward as well as the sting she now felt on her skin.

"No!" she shrieked in alarm, struggling even harder against the grip the guards had on her.

"I think I shall hold on to this…!" Thranduil stated, fingering the key as he made his way up the steps to his throne. He gave a wave of his hand to the guards and they began to drag the two Dwarves away.

"No!" Thorin yelled.

"You monster!" cried Aira.

"Stay here if you will and rot!" the Elvenking cried mockingly as they were pulled away. "A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an Elf! I am patient! I can wait!"

As if things hadn't gone badly enough, they were now much worse. As they were being forcefully led to the dungeons, Aira could not bring herself to look at Thorin, for she was too ashamed and distressed to do so.

He had entrusted his key to her, believing she would be able to keep it safe in case the Elves had found them.

Now, the Elvenking had the key to Erebor in his possession.

Thorin had trusted Aira with something so valuable to him…and she had failed him.

.

**I suppose I should start running...cuz I'm pretty sure there's going to be an angry mob after me now! xD **

**Didn't see that one coming, did ya? xD**

**Leave a review or drop a PM my way with your comments (please be nice) and stay tuned!**


	6. Toxins

**'Ello, my lovely readers! Here it is, a new update! :D**

**This one's a little shorter than normal, but that's cuz my original idea seemed to fit better when I decided to split it into two chapters xD Next one should be longer!**

**Enjoy...as best you can, anyway...! xD**

**.**

Soon, Aira found herself being pushed into a dark cell of the Elven dungeons. She found that quite appropriate for her, given everything that had happened to her just within the span of a couple hours. She didn't know whether to be angry or to shed tears about Thranduil taking the key to Erebor from her. Either way, she knew she was upset. For her, things just kept getting bleaker and darker and she couldn't even fathom what could possibly happen next now that they all were captured and imprisoned in the Elvenking's dungeons.

She slammed a fist against the bars of her cell and gave an angry cry. "That savage!" she exclaimed. "If I see him again, I will end him!"

"Aira…," came Thorin's soft voice from the opposite side of the dungeons.

After hesitating for a moment, Aira brought herself to look at Thorin and she saw him looking at her sympathetically. She could tell that he was troubled, but he was not giving her any angry or disappointed glances. He was looking at her with concern.

She could feel her eyes well up. "I'm sorry, Father…," she said. "It's just…I couldn't…I'm sorry…!"

"What happened? Did Thranduil hurt her?" Balin, who was in the next cell over from Thorin, fretfully asked.

"No, he didn't," Thorin replied. He let out a shaky breath before adding, "The key…he has it."

"What?" cried Balin, shocked.

"He found it while interrogating us and then took it as he ordered the guards to bring us here."

"How could you let this happen, Thorin?"

"It's not his fault! It's mine!" Aira cried, seeing both of them glance at her across the dungeons. "_I'm _the one who had the key."

"What?" Balin asked again, this time feeling confused. There were then also the sounds of a few murmurs around the dungeons from the others who had heard them.

Aira took a deep breath and explained, knowing that everyone else in the company in the other cells could hear her, as well, "Upon leaving Beorn's house, Father gave me the key because he thought it would be safer with me while we travelled through the forest. He feared the Elves would find us and thought they wouldn't dare try and search me with everyone else in the company around, therefore they wouldn't find the key and the quest wouldn't be endangered."

She paused for a moment, feeling her shame building up inside. "But it doesn't matter anymore," she said, her voice getting uneven and strained, "because the one person we didn't want to know of the quest _did _find the key and now he has it!"

"Aira, I truthfully did not think that Thranduil was going to ask for you. I believed it would only have been me to have stayed in his presence, I never thought he would request the same of you, as well," said Thorin, an evident tone of regret in his voice.

"I know…." Gripping the bars in front of her, Aira sadly gazed at Thorin across the way. "You entrusted me with your most valuable possession…you told me you would feel at peace knowing the key would not fall into the wrong hands because it would be in the right ones. You believed in me and were relying on me to guard it…and I failed you." She about choked on her last words as it almost physically pained her to say them. "I failed you, Father…I'm so sorry!"

"No, Aira, it was not your fault," Thorin replied, trying to soothe her. "Thranduil took the unfair advantage and took the key when we were being apprehended, knowing neither of us would be able to stop him. There was nothing you could have done. I do not blame you for that."

"How can you not blame me? This entire quest has been jeopardized because of me!"

"We will find a way to get it back."

"Father, we have been _imprisoned_! And, even if we _did_ somehow find a way out, we would have no idea where to look for the key and we would surely be captured again. We're never getting out and I know Thranduil will ensure we don't."

"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin then inquired.

"He did," Thorin answered. Then he added smugly, "I told him he could go _ish kakhfê ai'd dur rugnu!_"

Both Balin and Aira closed their eyes and shook their heads at Thorin's smart remark, knowing that the Khuzdul phrase he just spoke was quite rude and inappropriate. Although, Aira was secretly smirking to herself upon hearing it.

Then Thorin yelled loudly as if for all the realm to hear, his gravelly voice echoing off the walls, "Him and all his kin!"

Balin sighed. _"Good to know he handled the situation maturely…!"_ he thought to himself, a little frustrated.

"Well, that's that, then," he said. "The deal was our only hope."

"Not our only hope…!" Thorin replied in a loud whisper, his hopeful gaze lifting to the ceiling of the dungeons.

"You seem oddly confident of that…," said Aira, who wasn't quite as convinced. "What other chance do you think we have?"

"Master Baggins is still out there."

"How do we even know he knows where we are? He disappeared after he rescued us from the spiders."

"He will find us, I am sure of it."

"I do not doubt what Bilbo is capable of, but how do we know that nothing has happened to him since the forest? And if he _is_ all right, getting us out of here will be an impossible task, not just for him, but for all of us."

"Airaním, don't you start giving up. Not you!" Thorin cried firmly, not liking what he was hearing from her. "You, of all people, cannot start to lose hope, not now. We _will_ find a way out of here, I promise you!"

Aira didn't know what she could say in return. Normally, she _did_ always believe there was hope in all things, but at that moment, she wasn't sure if she believed that. She didn't want to give up, but the situation was becoming too dire and all the odds were against them that she found it hard to see or think of a better alternative. So she just remained silent, leaning against the stone wall and then sliding down to the cold floor despondently.

Then she heard a voice whisper in her head, _"Airaním…."_

She was startled at the sudden voice, but it was one she recognized right away; the only one she had ever heard in her head, which now made her curious.

_"Lady Galadriel…?"_ she replied. _"Is that you? Why are you in my head?"_

_"I have seen what has become of you and your company."_

_"Do you know of a way for us to escape?"_

_"Unfortunately, no. However, that is not the reason for which I am now speaking to you."_

_"Then what is it?"_

_"It is regarding your betrothed."_

_"Kili? What of him?"_

There was a brief moment of silence and then Galadriel spoke, _"I know of his memory loss…but the young girl, Tauriel, was wrong regarding its cause."_

Aira was confused. _"What do you mean?"_

_"It is __not__ the poison from a spider that has infected his mind. When he awoke in the forest, the poison had already left his body."_

_"If that is so, then what is it that's caused him to lose his memories?"_

_"It is the toxins that hang in the air from the diseased and decaying trees; the very same toxins that caused your illusions and have cursed the air of the forest. They entered into his blood through his wound and have plagued his mind. The toxins create illusions and, with Kili, they are blocking certain memories and will spread quickly. Soon, they will turn on his mind and will bring greater delusions that will cause him to envision new memories that never existed to replace those he has forgotten."_

Now knowing this new piece of information, Aira became even more worried. She had even forgotten to breathe for a moment upon learning that the toxins in his mind would soon replace the memories he lost with new illusions. That was almost even worse!

_"Is there a way the effects can be cured?"_ she asked earnestly, hoping the answer would be different than the one Tauriel had given her earlier.

_"That is something only you can determine."_

_"What is that supposed to mean? I don't know anything about curing memory loss!"_

_"Do you remember the words I spoke to you in Rivendell?"_

Aira sighed. _"Will all due respect, my Lady, you told me many things in Rivendell…."_

_"You, Airaním, are much more than you believe yourself to be. Your heart has been and will be your greatest ally."_

_"I do not see how that is going to help bring Kili's memories back…!" _

_"You will know in time, dear child. Heed Thorin Oakenshield's counsel…and do not lose hope. All will be well with you and your father's quest…and your Prince."_

In that moment, before she could ask anything, Aira felt Galadriel's spiritual presence disappear and she knew that their connection was broken.

She sighed in annoyance. _"Why does she always do that to me?" _she wondered. While she respected her, she couldn't help but think that that Elf Lady was nothing but a riddle in physical form.

How was her heart "being her greatest ally" going to help Kili in their situation? They were locked in up the Elvenking's dungeons…what could she possibly do from inside her cell to help him? She felt so lost and helpless.

"Aira?" asked a voice from the cell next to hers.

"Fili? Is that you?" Aira asked, recognizing his voice and moving closer to the door.

He replied, "Yes, it's me. Are you all right?"

Aira exhaled loudly. "The love of my life doesn't remember me and I've lost the key to Erebor's hidden door to an Elven tyrant…so yes, I'm positively _wonderful_ right now…!" she snapped with sad sarcasm.

Fili said nothing, but she heard him let out a sigh of sympathy, knowing he felt sorry for her.

That, in turn, made Aira feel sorry for snapping at him. "I'm sorry…," she said. "I shouldn't have reacted that way."

"It's all right, I understand," Fili replied.

After a brief silence of both of them trying to think of something to say, Aira finally asked, "How is Kili?"

Fili scoffed. "He's lucky I'm not in the same cell with him," he answered, "because I would be beating him senseless right now! He's not even trying to remember anything!"

"Have you found if he's forgotten anything else?"

"Only that he doesn't remember Maori either."

"I'm sorry, Fili."

He didn't respond.

Aira then decided she would tell him what she had just discovered regarding Kili's condition. "Fili, there is something I need to tell you," she said in a low voice through the bars.

"What is it?"

"Back in Rivendell, I met an Elf Lady called Galadriel. She was kind to me and she is wise and powerful. And trust _me _when I tell you that I know we can trust her."

"I believe you…now, what of her?"

"She has the power to speak to others through their minds…and she just spoke to me not moments ago. She knows what has become of us and she knows of Kili's condition. She informed me that it is not spider's poison that is affecting him, but the toxins that were in the air in the forest. They entered his bloodstream through the wound in his neck. They are blocking out certain memories and soon the toxins will create more illusions in his head and will create different memories to replace the ones he has lost."

"Did she say if there was a way to help him?"

Aira hesitated for a moment, knowing that the words Galadriel had spoken to her of helping Kili also pertained somewhat to the prophecy she had told her about back in Rivendell, regarding her destiny of saving the line of Durin. Fili didn't know of the prophecy. Aira knew that, if she told him what Galadriel said, she would have to explain everything behind her words and she knew that now was not a good time to go into that.

The answer she gave him then was, "She was quite…vague regarding that matter."

"But did she at least hint that there _is _a way?" Fili asked her.

"More or less," Aira answered.

"Then we shouldn't give up!"

"But it's the same as what I told Thorin when we were brought down here: what can we possibly do when we're locked up in these dungeons?"

Once again, Fili didn't say anything, unsure of what to say.

Aira peeked through the bars over to Kili's cell that was diagonally across the way from her. He was sitting in the corner by the door, looking his eyes staring down at the floor and looking solemn.

A feeling of pain rose up in her chest upon looking at him. She wished desperately that she was over there with him where he would hold her close in his arms and reassure her that things were going to be all right; that he loved her and would be by her side through everything.

But now he didn't even know who she was…which meant, even if they were in a cell together, he would not say or do any of those things, which made her heart want to break.

_"Perhaps if I just try talking to him…,"_ she thought to herself.

"Kili…?" she softly called out. She saw him look her way. "It's me, Aira."

He rolled his eyes. "Look, if you're still trying to tell me—"

"I'm not," Aira interrupted him, knowing he was talking about her trying to convince him about their relationship. "I just want to talk."

Kili said nothing at first, making her worry that he didn't want to talk, but then he replied, "All right, then."

"This quest that we're on…what do you know of it?" she asked him.

Kili lowered his eyes in thought for a moment. "I know Thorin mentioned a quest and Fili and I wanted to accompany him…," he said. "We met up with him and everyone else who was going along at a Hobbit's house in the Shire."

"Do you remember what happened while we were there?" Fili then chimed in.

"We got to the house…raided the Hobbit's pantry…Uncle Thorin showed up later…we all sat around and discussed something…I later went outside, but I don't think I was out there for very long because I remember going right back in…and that's it."

"When he went outside was when he went to talk to _you_," Fili said in a low voice to Aira.

"I know…," she responded sadly.

Fili looked back to Kili. "You don't remember what it was we all discussed back then?"

"I know we said we were going somewhere…but I don't know where exactly."

"Oh, gods…!" Aira groaned quietly, directing her voice towards Fili. "He can't remember Erebor! Every story we were ever told as children…there is nothing left of them!"

"He barely remembers Bilbo, too," added Fili.

Frustrated, Aira ran her hands over her forehead and through her hair. Kili's state was worse than she thought. He couldn't remember two of the biggest parts of his childhood: Erebor and her. If that was how he was at that moment, she could only imagine how he would be over the next few days, or even the next few hours.

Just then she felt something on the back of her head that she had almost forgotten about. It was a braid; Kili's courting braid.

Then she remembered that Kili had a braid exactly like that in _his_ hair, one that Aira had given to him. And that gave her an idea.

"Kili!" she cried softly. "Place your hand on the back of your head. What do you feel there?"

She watched him curiously lift his hand and touch the back of his head.

Then he simply replied, "It's a braid."

"Yes, _I _am the one who gave you that braid!" said Aira, hoping that her idea would help convince him of the truth.

But then her heart sank yet again as he scoffed and clarified, "No, you didn't! I've had this braid for years. It signifies my standing as a Prince of Durin."

Aira quietly moaned as she brought her hands up to her face, "Oh, no…it's already begun…!"

"What's begun?" asked Fili.

"The toxins…they're already creating illusions in his head, giving him false memories," she replied, clutching her arms as she folded them across her chest.

Even though he couldn't hear what they were saying, Kili then called out to Aira, "I already told this to Fili before, but you may as well give this up, woman. I do not know who you are and your efforts to convince me otherwise are proving to be useless."

Aira was taken aback. "Wo—did you just call me 'woman'?" she asked.

"Yes," was Kili's plain reply.

Her fingers started to dig into her skin as she felt her emotions building inside; a mixture of anger, sadness, humiliation and hurt, and she tried to keep herself contained. She could feel the tears that were forming stinging the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them escape.

"Kili…I would not be so persistent about this if it was not important," she told him calmly. "You and I have something; a strong connection together and I merely wish for you to see—"

"Please, just stop!" said Kili, annoyed. "You're not making things any simpler for yourself by insisting on something that does not pertain to me. We do _not_ have anything together…and, if we did, I would know it! Don't try and make me believe things that aren't true! That's about as politely as I can say it…so please, just do us all a favor and let it go…!" With that being said, he got up and moved further back into his cell, showing that the conversation was now over.

In that moment, Aira's heart felt as if it had been cut with a knife and her entire body felt numb. She could very vaguely hear Fili's voice saying something, but it made no difference to her as she slowly made her way to the darkest corner in the back of her cell. Everything around her seemed to fade away and the walls were closing in on her. Her heart had plummeted down to the deepest, most sorrowful depths of her body and soul. Clutching her sides tightly and fighting her tears as much as she could, she slid down the wall, curled up against it in the corner and miserably began to cry as quietly as possible.

In her sorrow, Aira recalled a promise that Kili had made to her the day they left Rivendell:

_"You will never lose me. That is a promise I intend to keep for the rest of my life."_

Those words echoing in her head only made her cry even more.

That Kili…_her_ Kili was gone. Even though he was there, he was there in body only. In soul and mind, he was lost. Because of the accursed toxins of Mirkwood, his promise had been broken and she had lost her best friend; the love of her life.

.

***shields face* Please, don't kill me!**

**Poor Aira...her world is just really starting to fall apart... :( **

**Please review or send me a PM! Much appreciated, dears! :D**


	7. Feel Me

**Once again, I'm surprised I wrote this one so quickly! xD I think it's cuz I'm sure some people would be after me if I didn't update soon, after the last chapter... ;)**

**There is a song in this chapter; the first song of Part 2! :D Now, I don't know how many people actually listen to the songs on the links I provide when Aira sings, but I would ****_reeeeeaaalllly_**** recommend that you listen to this one if you don't! The title of the song is the same as the chapter! :) Also, a couple of the words have been changed for the sole purpose of the story.**

**Once again, a huge thank you to ZabuzasGirl for finding this song and suggesting it! She's been waiting quite a while for this xD  
( watch?v=akxi_oce0wA)**

**Forgive me if a couple things in this one are a little repetitive of the last ones... :P**

**Be prepared, but still enjoy!**

**.**

**Bilbo's POV**

A couple of days had passed since the Dwarves had been captured. After he had freed them from the spiders, Bilbo ended up being separated from the rest of the company and fought his own battle with a couple spiders. He noticed the Dwarves had been captures by Elves and he tried to follow them into the Woodland Realm, but unfortunately, the gate closed before he could get in. He tried to find a way in from the outside apart from the gate, but he could find no other way.

But he was not going to give up! He was a Baggins; he was not going to abandon his friends! Sooner or later, the Elves would have to open up their gates again and he would be ready to run in, with his ring on, naturally, to hide himself. Patiently, he waited on the outside of forest near the causeway.

The following day, the horns were sounded and a battalion of Elves once again ran through the gates, receiving word of more spiders inhabiting the forest. Once all of the Elves had cleared, Bilbo, with his ring on his finger, charged through the open gate just as it began to close.

Now, he was in.

_"Now…to find the Dwarves!" _he thought to himself, feeling proud that he had gotten inside. But then he stopped and thought, _"No, wait! I need to find a way out of here first and __then__ I'll go find them! That way, we can all get out of here once I free them!"_ To him, that seemed like a good plan.

Carefully, Bilbo started wandering over the wooden bridge and into the depths of the Woodland Realm. He meandered through different doors, halls and corridors, searching for a way to escape before going to find the Dwarves. He had a few near run-ins with some Elves walking around, but being a Hobbit, he was quick and light on his feet and was able to avoid running into anyone or being heard.

For how long he had been roaming around, he had no idea. A long time was all he could figure. Eventually he came to an entryway to a descending, winding staircase. He quietly walked down and peered around the corner as he approached the foot of the stairs. It appeared to be someone's chambers. He could see a few small tables with fire-lit lamps upon them, a larger one near the back that had a bottle of wine along with a couple glasses and a small pool of water on the opposite side. It was silent, so Bilbo assumed there was no one inside and began to creep forward.

Just then a figure stepped out from behind a pillar and a deep voice spoke, "I know you're there."

Bilbo froze in fear as the Elven figure looked in his direction. He had long, blonde hair that fell well below his shoulders and wore long, flowing silver robes. His hands were clasped together in front of him, holding something small between them. Judging from his appearance and demeanor, Bilbo supposed that this was Thranduil, the Elvenking he was staring at eye to eye.

"Why do you linger in the shadows?" Thranduil asked eerily, still eying him.

_"How can he see me…? What do I do?"_ Bilbo thought, paranoid.

But then he heard footsteps behind him and a woman's voice replied, "I was coming to report to you."

He looked and saw the same red-haired Elf maiden who had helped capture the Dwarves come walking down the stairs past him and approach the Elvenking. She had clearly just returned from the spider venture in the forest. Bilbo let out a silent sigh of relief, realizing that he actually hadn't been seen.

"If I may ask, sire, what is that in your hands?" asked the woman.

Thranduil smugly grinned and revealed what it was he held. Bilbo had to cover his mouth to keep from crying out in shock.

It was Thorin's key. He couldn't believe it! How did the Elf get his hands on it? The Hobbit was too stunned to move, thinking that now, somehow, he had to get the key out of here.

"It is a key, Tauriel; something very valuable to Thorin Oakenshield," Thranduil replied, looking at the key greedily.

"The Dwarf you questioned?" Tauriel asked in response.

"Yes. The Dwarf girl who was with him was in possession of it and I confiscated it from her."

Bilbo's ears perked up and he was, once again, shocked. _"__Aira__ had the key? When did that happen?"_ he wondered.

Thranduil then turned and walked towards the table in the back of the room. There was a small, ornate box on top of it. He opened up the box and casually put the key inside of it.

_"Perfect!"_ thought Bilbo gladly. He figured the two Elves were now going to leave and he would able to snatch the key and go.

However, the Elvenking walked back to the place he stood seconds ago and started talking to the Elven woman. "I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not two moons past?" he questioned.

_"Oh, dear…!"_ the Hobbit now thought. He had to get the key; he had already lost much time, but the Elves weren't leaving. He decided he would have to very carefully try and take it without them noticing.

As he began tip-toeing towards the table, he heard Tauriel answer firmly, "We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord, but more spiders keep coming up from the South."

He then ignored them as their conversation regarding the spiders continued. He was too focused on getting the key out of the box and then getting out of the room as swiftly and silently as possible. He came up to the edge of the table and, after measuring the size of the box with his hands, carefully grabbed the lid with one hand and eased it ever slowly off the box, trying not to make a sound. Then, he gradually reached inside and his fingertips barely brushed the stone key.

He then heard Thranduil's voice declare, "The fortunes of the world will rise and fall…but here in this kingdom, we will endure."

Bilbo's fingers started to curl around the key, but in doing so, he caused it to bump against the side of the box, making a small _thump_ noise and he stiffened fearfully as he looked over to his shoulder to see if he had been heard. Sure enough, the Elvenking's head was starting to turn his way. Bilbo hastily withdrew his hand from the box, placed the lid back on top without a sound and then stood in place, waiting for what the Elf was going to do next.

Fortunately, Thranduil simply looked around for a moment and then turned back to Tauriel to continue speaking to her.

Relieved, Bilbo started to inch his way towards an exit on the opposite side of the room.

_"Oh, sticklebacks, I've got to find a way out here!"_ he thought to himself as he made his way down the stairs. _"My friends are counting on me!"_

* * *

**Aira's POV**

Down in the dungeons, the Dwarves were sitting around, having been stripped of some of their clothes, mainly coats and jackets, down to only their shirts and trousers and they were nothing but miserable in their state of imprisonment. Aira, most of all. After what Kili had said to her a couple days ago, she was heartbroken and felt no desire to speak to him or to anyone else. At times, she would briefly speak with Fili or to Thorin, but she would speak to no one else and the conversations she had with the two of them were very brief before she would retreat back to solitary. The other Dwarves—some before others—knew about Kili's condition, had heard what he had said and were angry about it as well as sorry for Aira, but they decided they wouldn't say anything to him. Anything the rest of them could say would be no different than what Aira and Fili were trying to do.

Aira's world was just falling apart, what with her fiancée losing his memories and then wanting nothing to do with her, losing her father's key to the one person who never should have found it and then being locked up in that person's dungeons, most likely never to get out again.

The rest of the company was asleep, but Aira sat in her corner, still awake, running her thumb over a ring on her finger: a silver ring with a single sapphire surrounded by four smaller emeralds. The ring Kili had given to her as a gift in Rivendell. He had given it to her shortly after they had confessed their love for each other. Everything had seemed so perfect then.

Staring down at the ring, she couldn't help but think of how everything was tumbling down.

Their quest was going to fail and her One would never love her again…and it was all her fault.

Those were the despondent thoughts that kept going through her mind as she sat in the back corner of her cell. How did it come to this? What had she done to deserve any of this guilt and pain?

Now, she would never hear the sound of Kili's tender voice telling her that she was his best friend, that she was the most beautiful Dwarf-woman he ever knew, that her eyes shone brighter than any jewel hidden beneath the earth. She would never again hear him say their phrase, "You are all I need to be with forevermore."

She also remembered multiple things Kili had said to her on occasion over the span of their journey that made her heart wrench:

_"There is nothing…__nothing__ in this entire world that could ever change how I feel about you! I love you…I always have and I always will…there is no power in the world that could make me forget that…._

_"You mean everything to me, Aira. I care for you to the deepest part of my soul. I will always be with you and will protect you, no matter what. Do not ever think that there is anything that will make me question my love for you in any way, because there is no power in all of Middle-Earth that will ever cause me to do so. I love you with all that I am and my heart belongs to you. It always has."_

Aira felt as if the gods had heard Kili make those statements, simply laughed at them and then set out to ruin her life.

"No power in Middle-Earth could make you forget you love me…," she mumbled in a low voice out loud to herself, pretending like she was speaking to Kili, "…except the power of a cursed and diseased Elven forest…!"

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching and caught a glimpse of Tauriel, the female Elven guard walking by. Immediately, her stomach started to turn. She was unsure what to think of Tauriel. Even though she had helped capture them, she had saved Kili's life from the spiders and she seemed to be slightly more merciful to the Dwarves. She came by from time to time over the last couple days to check on them and she would offer them small portions of food, sliding them underneath the doors into the cells. That made Aira curious…however, she also noticed how Kili watched the Elf whenever she walked by and it made her blood boil. She swore once she caught Tauriel looking back at him and she had to try her best not to scream.

In seeing Tauriel walk by, Aira quietly moved towards the door of her cell to see what was going on. Sure enough, the Elf walked over to Kili's cell, where Aira saw he was awake and tossing something up in the air. She then listened carefully to their conversation.

Tauriel spoke, "The stone in your hand…what is it?"

Kili was silent briefly and then answered, "It is a talisman…a powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a Dwarf reads the runes on this stone…they will be forever cursed!"

Tauriel was slightly startled as he thrust out his arm and revealed the stone to her, as if she believed what he said, and started to walk away.

"Or not…!" Kili then said, which made her stop and turn back to him. "Depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token…a rune stone," he said with a small laugh.

_"Rune stone…? Since when did Kili have a rune stone?"_ Aira wondered.

He continued, "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise."

Just as Aira thought it, Tauriel spoke for her, "What promise?"

"That I would come back to her." Kili paused and then added, "She worries. She thinks I'm reckless."

_"That does sound like Dis,"_ thought Aira, thinking about the one wonderful Dwarf-woman she had ever known as a mother, as she continued to listen.

"Are you?" asked Tauriel curiously.

"Nah…!" Kili replied just as he dropped the stone and it tumbled out of his cell. Luckily, Tauriel stopped it with her foot before picking it up and examining it in the light.

Kili stood up as the sound of cheers and laughter came from above them outside the dungeons. "Sounds like quite a party you're having up there."

"It is _mereth en gilith_; a feast of starlight. All light is sacred to the Eldar…but Wood-Elves love best the light of the stars."

"I always thought it as a cold light…remote and far away."

"It is _memory_…precious and pure!"

Tauriel's statement really rubbed Aira the wrong way. _"How __dare__ she speak anything of memory, when she knows precisely what is going on with him!"_ she thought furiously as she clenched her hands into tight fists.

"Like your promise," she heard Tauriel say. Aira peeked back through the bars of the door and saw Tauriel handing Kili back his rune stone.

Then she looked around her and continued, "I have walked there sometimes. Beyond the forest and up into the night…I have seen the world fall away…and the white light forever fill the air."

As Aira listened to her speak, she heard the conviction and passion in Tauriel's voice, as if she was in a trance or distant. Something about the Elven woman's words touched Aira's soul, but she couldn't make out what it was. She was back again to not knowing what to think of her. She seemed so different from the other Elves.

But then Aira's eyes drifted to where she could see Kili and, even from where she was, she could see clearly how he was looking at Tauriel. There was an enamored smile on his face and she could his eyes were wide with wonder; the same look he used to get on his face when he would look at _her_.

Then he said to Tauriel, "I saw a fire moon once."

Aira could feel her heart and spirits sinking lower and lower as she listened to Kili talking to Tauriel in so carefree a way.

"It rose over the pass near Dunland…_huge_! Red and gold, it was; it filled the sky! We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin. They were trading in silverwork for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left…and then it appeared: this huge fire moon lighting our path…."

Finally, Aira just couldn't listen anymore. With a sigh, she turned away from the door and laid her head against the wall, blocking out the sounds of Kili and Tauriel conversing.

He was falling for Tauriel, Aira knew it…and her heart was becoming so overwhelmed, she feared it would shatter at any minute.

Her thoughts were broken when she heard Fili in the next cell whisper, "Aira, are you awake?"

She kept quiet for a moment, not feeling like speaking to anyone, but then she decided she couldn't and that she really did need to speak to someone.

"I am," she replied quietly. "Did you hear…?"

"Yes, I did," Fili answered, knowing what she was referring to.

"Everything he said about the rune stone and the fire moon…was that all true?"

"Every word."

Her heart fell yet again. He could remember little things like those but not the bigger and more important things in his life? And why had he never told her about any of those stories?

After shaking her head, Aira said, "He's gone, Fili. The Kili you and I know and love is gone. He is falling for that Elf woman…even from here, I can see how he is looking at her: with the same look he used to give me."

She paused, feeling tears forming in her eyes, and then said, her voice growing emotional, "There was always a certain light in his eyes whenever he would see or look at me; a light that never ceased to show how much he loved and cared about me…but ever since the forest, that light has disappeared. Now, even from here, I can see it again in his eyes as he looks at Tauriel…."

"I am not going to let Kili fall for that Elf!" Fili told her firmly, yet still in a quiet voice so the other two, still conversing across the way, wouldn't hear. "No matter what it takes, I will see to it that he falls in love with you again!"

"You don't understand, Fili. What Kili and I had together was built upon years and years of growing up together and growing closer to each other. It was based on childhood memories and fondness that stretched and grew over the years as we got older. Even if he did fall in love with me again…he'll never love me the same; not the way he did before…our love was deep and strong and it could never get back to the way it was."

"I know, Aira…what you and Kili had before was a love of the truest kind…but you are just like my sister and he is my brother. I'm not going to let things between you two end like this."

"Fili, I know you look out for us and hope for the best…but it's no use now. Sometimes the truth of reality just outweighs whatever hope we have…and in this case, it does…it is over."

Fili started to say something back, but Aira cut him short, telling him that she was tired and wanted to sleep. Without waiting for a response, she moved back to the dark corner, laid down on the floor facing the wall, closed her eyes and softly cried herself to sleep, desperately wishing that when she awoke, everything would be back to the way it was, even though she knew that it was a fool's wish.

* * *

Not knowing how long she had actually slept, Aira later awoke to the sound Fili's voice slightly echoing outside followed by Kili's, so she inched closer to the cell door to hear.

"Brother, you cannot seriously be thinking what I know you're thinking!"

"How do you know at all what I'm thinking?"

"I saw how you were looking at that Elf woman; I know that look you got. You're infatuated with her!"

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are, I saw you! You know you can't lie to me."

"So what if I may be?"

"Kili, she's an _Elf_!"

"Just because Thorin hates the Elves doesn't mean _we_ have to."

"Oh, Mahal help me! This is ludicrous!" Fili was now starting to sound quite frustrated. "First, you completely forget and neglect Aira, then you forget Erebor and now you're suddenly developing an interest in Elves? You are not yourself anymore, Kili. You are not my brother."

Hearing him say that shocked Aira greatly.

Kili replied, "But I _am_ your brother, Fili!"

"In body only! But in mind and heart, you are not. You are not my little brother whom I have looked after for over seventy years; the one person I am closest to in the entire world! You are not my little brother whom I watched fall in love with our best friend, someone he loved for his entire life!"

"If that girl really meant that much to us, I'm certain I would remember her."

Aira felt a tug on her heartstrings as she heard Kili refer to her as "that girl" yet again. Since the forest, he had practically refused to say or acknowledge her by name. Now she was just "woman" or "that girl".

Fili reminded him, "But your mind has been infected!"

"I don't feel any different than I have since the start of this journey," said Kili.

"How can you say you don't feel any different when you don't feel _anything_?"

However, it was not Fili who uttered those words.

It was Aira.

The words had escaped her mouth before she had a chance to stop herself. She was getting so frustrated and fed up with Kili's behavior, acting like nothing was wrong, and her aggravation was combined with her grief and unhappiness regarding the fact. Everything was just building up inside of her and it was now beginning to burst. She had been suffering inner emotional torment and just couldn't take it anymore.

"What did you say?" asked Kili.

Aira turned so she was looking through the bars over at Kili across the way. "I said, how can you say you don't feel any different when you don't feel anything?" she repeated in a somewhat insolent tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"You know exactly what it means!" she spat.

He groaned, rolled his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall, indeed knowing what she was referring to. "Oh, for Durin's sake…! You just can't leave it alone, can you?"

All she did in response was scowl back at him.

"You're _still_ convinced we're meant to be together…that chance isn't really looking good for you right now! You know, you could've made things a lot easier for you had you not been so insistent!"

"I'm only insistent because I'm trying to help you remember and see the truth!"

Kili said nothing. Instead he just rolled his eyes again and turned his face away.

With her angst growing even more, Aira cried out, "How can you not feel it, Kili?"

"Feel what?" he asked, annoyed.

"_Me_!" she exclaimed, placing a hand over her chest. "How can you not feel _me_?"

She heard faint stirrings in the other cells and she knew that the other Dwarves were waking up, most likely because of her and Kili's raised voices.

When it seemed he was puzzled as to what she meant and how to respond, she went on desperately, "I am a part of you; we are one and the same! How can you not remember your feelings for me? How can you not feel what I feel for you?"

"Because, clearly, those feelings never existed and I am not living in some fantasy!"

"Kili, stop!" came Thorin's voice of warning. He could tell the argument was escalating very quickly and he wanted them to stop before either of them said something they would regret.

But Kili wouldn't listen. "No! I've had enough of this!" he shouted back.

When he received a silent response, he then turned his stone hard gaze back in Aira's direction. Then he spoke to her in a dark, irritated voice that rose as he kept going, "Honestly, you are relentless! As I've said about a thousand times now, if we ever really had anything and you were really my One, I would know it! But I don't feel anything when I'm around you or even when I look at you and I certainly don't now! Had you taken a different approach to all of this, I maybe would've given you a chance, but not anymore! I do _not_ love you and, at this rate, I doubt I ever will!"

"_Imrid amrad ursul_!"

The three Khuzdul words that Aira had just shrieked in such a horrible voice echoed loudly off the dungeon walls, briefly masking the now heavy, awkward silence that hung in the air. There were the sounds of shocked gasps that were heard upon hearing her outburst.

Aira had just told Kili to "die a death of flames" in the Dwarven language; the same phrase that Thorin had shouted at Thranduil after their arrival.

All of the angst, anger, misery, grief and pain that she had felt over the last few days had finally caused her to burst and she had screamed possibly the worst thing she could have ever said without thinking. And to make it all even worse: she had said it to her One.

It took Aira a moment to realize what had just happened and then she gasped quietly to herself, shocked beyond belief at what she had just done. She noticed Kili was staring at her wide-eyed, completely taken aback. She might have been angry with him, but he didn't deserve that. She would never wish death upon anyone…him, least of all.

Humiliated yet still so hurt by Kili's words, Aira turned her back to the cell door, leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest, buried her face in the crook of her arms and openly wept, not caring if even all of Middle-Earth could hear her. Now she knew for certain that her true love was gone forever.

She was completely heartbroken. It was clear to her that their love was not strong enough to break through to Kili and bring him back. His mind had been entirely corrupted; the toxins had overcome him and had turned him against her. No matter how much she wanted to believe it, there was just no possible way to save him now.

It was all over.

She cried for quite some time and no one dared to even utter a word. Even when she finally stopped, there was nothing but silence.

In the long silence, Aira suddenly recalled the words of Galadriel's prophecy once again:

_"Your bond with the line of Durin will be tested and the love between you and the youngest Prince will be tried…."_

It was now as though darkness was overtaking her and she was trapped in an endless void of sorrow and regret. Now, she felt utterly lost. The latter part of the prophecy had been fulfilled; the love between her and Kili had been more than tried, it had been completely severed. How was she supposed to save the line of Durin when she couldn't even save the one she loved?

Just then, in the midst of her depressed and grief-stricken state, an idea came to her mind; something that she had not thought of before. As she considered it, it seemed like a very mad, possibly useless idea, but yet there was a tiny inkling of a feeling deep down that kept telling her that she had to do it.

_"Surely, there must be some part of him deep down that still loves me…I have to try…,"_ she thought to herself, not knowing whether it was out of hope or desperation.

After regaining her composure a bit, Aira opened her mouth and suddenly began to sing, her voice emanating with deep, desperate emotion as she sang what was in her heart loud enough for Kili to hear her.

_Feel me.  
I am still here and you're still there, I know.  
I am still here and you're still there, I know…  
And I'm scared you'll leave me with no way home.  
Feel me…  
Feel me…_

_See, I've got so many keys to these doors.  
I feel trapped in here and I don't want more…  
Let me out of here and please don't ignore me…  
Darling, can you feel me?  
Darling, can you feel me?  
Darling, can you feel me…?_

_In my perfect world, you're happy with me.  
When I picture it, it's all heavenly.  
But this fairytale is just a story, see?  
Life is such an unpredictable dream…  
Feel me…_

_Darling, can you feel…  
Feel me?  
Darling, can you feel…  
Feel me?  
Feel me…  
Feel me…_

_Darling, can you feel…  
Feel me…?_

Aira's emotional song ended and, once again, silence hung in the air. Everyone else in the company felt too sad to say anything. The pain and desperate longing in Aira's voice and in her words struck them deep to their very cores. Some of them had tears in their eyes, feeling so sorry for Aira and what she was going through.

A brief moment passed before Aira peered through the bars of her cell and stole a glance in Kili's direction. His head was lowered and he was looking at his hands. He wasn't moving at all and he remained that way for the whole minute she watched him. When he still made no move or said no words, her heart sank.

Her last hope had failed.

_"I give up…_," she thought sadly. _"There's nothing left I can do…it's all over."_

Feeling hopeless and dejected, Aira moved herself into the corner by the door and closed her eyes. Her entire being was tired and she wished to sleep…and perhaps never wake up again.

Over in Kili's cell, he was staring down at his hands, breathing a bit heavily. Then finally his mouth opened and he whispered one word so quietly that he could barely even hear himself:

"Aira…?"

.

**xD**

**I shall say absolutely nothing...! xD**

**Reviews and PM's are appreciated, as always! Ya'll are seriously awesome for sticking with me this far! :D **


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